


Slayers' Sons

by ambered



Category: Doom (Video Games), Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: ....lots of random demons and zombies death though, Anger, Canon-Typical Violence, Demons, Fever, Found Family, Gen, Happy Ending, No Major Character Death, Sickness, Uncle Vega AU, a bit of each., alternate title: xisuma gets tired of being nice. - Freeform, demon dna ex, demon impulse, game mechanics, idk man we got chainsaw mauling and a lot of hugging and crying, makyr dna x, mechanical eyes tango, mentions/memories of past trauma, mild to medium intensity of body horror, sheep human zedaph
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 102,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25227688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambered/pseuds/ambered
Summary: Xisuma is enjoying a normal day on the Hermitcraftserver, when Evil Xisuma barges in. He claims their father is sick - the Doomslayer. Xisuma follows him back to his home where they grew up, back to the Fortress of Doom. But when not even VEGA knows what's going on, will they manage to help the Slayer?Tango and Impulse, on the other hand, may just have gotten a little too curious to learn more about their admins dad, and are stumbling into things way over their head.
Comments: 748
Kudos: 703





	1. Xisuma comes back home

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm back!  
> First of all, thank you for reading!  
> Second, if you want to know more about this AU, called 'Uncle Vega Au', check out my hermitcraft tumblr at @ambered-glazed-sheep.  
> Update day will be wednesday!  
> That's all, please enjoy! :D

"Well, we'll have you know that we only use clean, free-range, locally sourced concrete, none of your jerky duplificated cheater concrete!"

"What! We would _never_!" Keralis' eyes were as wide as the moon. "Shishwamy and me are grinding out our concrete all by hand!"

"Yeah, and it's totally not because my concrete machine broke." Xisuma threw in, shaking his head in disbelief. How could they accuse them of such things!

Impulse chuckled. "But does your shop also sell all colors of dyes?"

Xisuma grinned, wagging his finger. "No, but you only do because I gave you those cocoa beans!" 

"Ah, can't argue with that!" Impulse shrugged, still laughing. 

"Well at least we're not wearing a stupid ugly looking strider face!"

"Oh wow, Tango, that's a low blow, even for you!" Keralis feigned offense, bringing a hand to his chest. "You _villain_!" Xisuma just giggled, adjusting his strider-shaped helmet. It was true, it wasn't particularly pretty.

The four of them had met up near Tango's base, bickering and bantering about their respective concrete shops. Keralis was walking alongside Xisuma, still offended at Tango calling his friend ugly. The small group was walking down the newly constructed roads in front of Tango's Toon Towers. The skies were clear, a light breeze complimented the flying anvils above them, and overall, it was just a generally nice and pleasant day. The two competing business groups had come across each other in the flower biome where both Impulse and Xisuma had constructed their flower farms to get dyes. After exchanging some insults as well as compliments for each other's farms, Tango had invited all of them for tea and/or coffee at his base. As per usual, the hermits were having fun, and none of the words they flung at each other had any maliciousness behind them. 

"What! I'm not a villain!" Tango cried out, sparing a glance to the Evil Incorporated tower that was looming behind his main buildings. His red eyes were sparkling in the sun, and Xisuma could just about see the mechanics in them move as they zoomed in to the building. "Well, mostly."

"Eh," Xisuma made. "Your concrete prices sure are villainous, though."

"Our prices are literally the same as yours!"

"Yeah, maybe, but have you considered-"

However, none of them would ever know what Keralis had wanted them to consider, as a loud noise and a bright light started just behind them. The group whirled around at the unfamiliar noises, and Xisuma's eyes widened as a blue, swirling portal started forming out of thin air. His heart dropped.

He had seen portals like this before. 

He did not expect one of them on his server without knowing about it, or this world at all. 

Instinctively, he stepped in front of his fellow hermits, putting his body between them and the portal while also stretching his arm out to keep them from coming closer. Despite his wariness, he took a step towards the portal. He knew the portal itself was no danger, but he had no idea what to expect coming out of it.

A silhouette peeled itself out of the swirling shapes, becoming sharper and clearer. It only took a few seconds for a boot to appear out of the portal, followed by a familiar helmet and red-clad shoulders. Xisuma straightened his back at the sight of his brother stepping through the portal, stumbling a little as he hit the ground. He looked around himself for a few seconds, seeming confused, before his eyes fell onto Xisuma. His usual armor was disheveled and looked like it was put on hastily, his boots still untied. EX jerkily walked towards Xisuma, who tensed just a little bit. 

"Evil Xisuma.", X stated, surprised. This shouldn't be possible. "You... you shouldn't be able to come here." He voiced his thoughts to his brother, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Xisuma was aware that EX was not, technically, banned on the season 7 server, but he shouldn't have access to it anyways. He wasn't on the whitelist. 

" **Nice to see you too.** ", EX replied, voice dripping with sarcasm, but his tone lacked it's usual edge. Judging by his body language, he seemed exhausted, restless. The helmet distorted his voice as per usual, but X couldn't help but notice how pressed his greeting sounded. EX's eyes went up and down Xisuma's armor, surely wanting to say something about the bright red color and strider-shaped helmet, but when EX spoke again, it wasn't what Xisuma had expected. 

" **We don't have time for this. You need to come home, X.** "

"Shishwamy?", Keralis asked behind his back. He gasped when he saw EX as well. "Evilshwamy!" 

Impulse and Tango were staring at EX with interest, recognition sparking in their eyes. Impulse absent-mindedly ran his fingers through his hair. Xisuma waved them back with his arm, signalling them to keep their distance. They kept looking at the admin and his brother. Both were tall, really tall - X was the tallest of the hermits anyways, towering over all of them, and EX was somehow the exact same height as him. He was considerably less bulky, though. 

Xisuma scoffed as he turned back to his brother. "Really, man?" Looking closer at him, he couldn't help but see dark stains on his black gloves. An unsettling feeling nestled into Xisuma's stomach, but he continued anyways. "Can we go back to the point where you somehow broke onto my server despite that not being possible! Jeez man, you can't just come in here, with no announcement, and expect me to-"

" **It's dad.** ", EX interrupted him, taking off his helmet in the process. "VEGA helped me get onto the server. Dad's sick, you need to come home, Xisuma."

Evil Xisuma's face was clouded with worry. His striking bright, red-purple-ish eyes were staring directly at Xisuma, almost pleading. The dark bags under his eyes seemed deeper than usual, and his eyes had a red rim around them. He was chewing on his lips nervously, his sharp upper teeth leaving marks on the skin. EX's long, white dyed hair was as ragged and messy as usual, maybe even more so. 

"Please.", he added in a much quieter voice.

Xisuma was taken aback by the serious demeanor of his brother. 

_Dad? What's going on with dad, of all people? He's never gotten sick!_ Xisuma let his eyes wander over his brother, who had started to breathe more heavily due to his apparent anxiety and let out a stifled cough, quickly putting his helmet back on. Evil X was rarely that serious. Granted, Xisuma hadn't seen him in a while - last time had been between seasons, when he had gone back to their home dimension for a while. During his banishment in season 6, Evil Xisuma had returned to the Fortress of Doom, staying back with VEGA and their father - the Doomslayer. So how come he was here now? He said VEGA had helped him - _what does that mean_?

It wouldn't surprise Xisuma if the AI was more than capable of hacking into his little Minecraft server, even with the whitelist, but the point was, _why_ would VEGA do that? Unless... It really was that serious. 

"Sick?" Xisuma asked. "What do you mean, _sick_?" As long as he could think back, their dad had never once gotten 'sick', not even a cold. 

He gave up his defensive body language and took a step closer. "EX, what's going on?" He asked, a little softer this time. 

EX stiffened, quickly glancing at the three curious hermits behind Xisumas back, then slumped together again. 

" **It's... Dad. Yesterday, he.... we... I didn't mean to...** " He stuttered, seeming lost. 

X simply placed a hand on his shoulder. Worry was starting to grind on his nerves now. Why was his brother so shaken up? "Hey now, breathe. It's okay, just tell me what happened."

EX shook his head valiantly, taking a step back to shake off Xisumas hand. " **No time, X. Since yesterday, he's been sick, and I think it's getting worse- VEGA doesn't know what it is.** "

Xisuma could practically hear the alarm lights in his head kicking into gear. "What? How-... How is he doing?"

" **It wasn't that bad at first, he was just a little bit out of it, but suddenly he collapsed, and he's all feverish, I tried to keep him in bed but he didn't want to stay yesterday, but today he's been really weak, and suddenly there's all this disgusting stuff and it looks like... de-... I-.... I tried to tear it off, X, but it didn't work, and he's in pain, and it just keeps-...** " EX clammed up, suddenly very aware of the other hermits present and trying to stop himself from breaking down and saying too much in front of them. " **You gotta help, X.** "

EX wasn't making much sense, but his panicked tone sent dread through Xisumas veins. He nodded instantly. "... Let me take care of a few things, then we'll go, immediately." Somehow, he sensed that this was a serious situation, and he didn't like the cold feeling in his stomach one bit. This was none of EX's little plots and schemes, he was sure. And, to be honest, if it was after all, he could still deal with that bridge once he got to it. EX would be hearing a piece of his mind for sure. 

However, his brother seemed so small and lost and desperate right now, Xisuma couldn't leave him with good conscience. He had to at least check it out, at least do a quick visit. Seeing his brother hurt and scared took him back to their childhood. He had always done his best to protect EX, and now he was coming to him for help despite their... tensions in the past year or so. 

...What if their father really was sick?

X didn't want to think of the implications. 

He noticed the blue swirly portal was still opened, lazily circling around itself. Opening portals expended a lot of energy on VEGAs side, so he really had no time to waste. Evil X seemed incredibly relieved at his agreement to go with him back home. He straightened, nodded at X, and took a step back towards the portal, waiting.

Xisuma patted his brother's shoulder once, then turned back to the other three hermits, who were staring at him with wide eyes, bursting with questions. 

"Peeps, I have to leave for a bit. I don't know how serious it is, but, as you heard - our dad is sick."

"But, Shishwamy! You can't just leave us, not like this!" Keralis cried out.

Tango was set on something else. "Xisuma, you have a _dad_?"

"Dude, of course he ha a dad, what did you think?" He got an elbow into his ribs by Impulse, but Tango barely reacted to it, instead getting excited about the idea of Xisuma having a father. 

"X, what's he like? Is he like you? Xisuma, please, can we come along?"

"Oh _absolutely_ not." Xisuma denied him with no hesitation. "You can't. It's not a safe place for any of you to be."

"You do realized that just makes me infinitely more curious, do you."

Xisuma sighed, rubbing his hand over his helmet's visor before staring at Tango, exasperated. "I'm dead serious, Tango. As interesting as it may seem to you, trust me, its not good. Please just stay away from that portal."

Tango and Impulse exchanged a glance, while X turned to Keralis. "Keralis, my friend, can you fly over to Cub and Joe and explain them the situation? I need them to watch over the server while im gone, since they're operators. You as well, Tango." He gave Tango an intense look to remind him he was serious, to which Tango just shrugged. 

"Will do, Shishwamy." Keralis nodded eagerly, throwing a last curious glance to EX. Evil Xisuma was waiting near the portal, having no intention of mingling with the hermits today, and he seemed restless and busied with his thoughts. Looking back to X, Keralis gave him a worried smile. "Stay safe, you hear me?"

"Will try. Thank you, Keralis."

With that, Keralis spread his elytra wings and took off from the ground with a few rockets, soon disappearing over the Hermitean Ocean. X had already taken out his communicator, checking chat and sending a quick message to everyone. 

Grian: the concrete store isn't stocked anymore!

Grian: scandalous

MumboJumbo: i still have some leftover gravel and sand, if you want to

_Disabled Whitelist._

**Evil Xisuma has joined the game.**

Cubfan135: ?

Xisuma: Hey everyone, i need to leave the server for a family emergency.

Xisuma: i'll be off server for a day or two possibly

Xisuma: dont worry about me, and please take care!

Xisuma: keralis can explain more, i need to leave immediately.

_Added EvilXisuma to Whitelist._

_Enabled Whitelist._

ZombieCleo: oh fuck everything okay?

Stressmonster101: oh no, i hope it's not too bad?

GoodTimeWithScar: Cleo! :o

Xisuma already stored away his communicator, ignoring all further messages. Whitelist was back on, and he had put his brother on it just to make sure nothing weird would happen if he was physically on the server without being in the Whitelist. Xisuma opened up his inventory. Quickly, he plopped down a chest and started to throw in everything he didn't need on his person. He just took the basics, his weapons and tools, and some food. 

" **X?** ", Evil Xisuma asked him, impatient. 

"Yeah, I'm coming.", Xisuma answered, getting up and double checking his inventory. 

His eyes fell onto Tango and Impulse, who were still standing there. Tango was watching his every movement, while Impulse seemed transfixed by the portal.

"I don't know when I'll be back, it might be a while."

Tango put his hands in his pockets, casually glancing at the portal behind Xisumas back. "You _sure_ we can't come along? I just wanna take a little bitty look, that's all."

X took a breath, keeping himself from glaring at the red-eyed man. He felt himself growing annoyed with the two of them. "No. I don't want to bring you in danger, so please stay here."

"Come on man, we can take care of ourselves!" Now Impulse was on it as well. "We're grown adults, Xisuma! Please?"

" **X, we're wasting time.** ", Evil Xisuma growled behind him. " **It's urgent.** "

Xisuma sighed. The admin felt like pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, but settled for just putting his hand on the side of his helmet. He knew Tango and Impulse. He knew where they came from. He knew why they would be fascinated by the idea of seeing new dimensions and meeting new people. Tango had been hopping dimensions and travelling in his past, before he had been asked to join Hermitcraft for his expertise on farms. Xisuma didn't know all the details, but he knew that Tango had met Impulse in one of the worlds he had traveled to, and they had somehow become friends. Tango had left with instructions on how to call upon Impulse if he ever needed him - and had promptly done so during Hermitcraft season 3, working on a witch farm project with Mumbo and Xisuma himself. X had never summoned a demon before, but there's a first for everything, right? However, that was exactly the reason why he didn't want either of them to come to his home world. He knew his dad wasn't particularly known for being a friend of demons. 

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to explain all this, and he knew it would only lead to more arguments and discussions. 

X looked back onto Tango and Impulse, looking them firmly in the eyes. "You can't come, I'm sorry. That's my last word. Don't go near the portal, alright?"

With that, Xisuma turned around on his heels, leaving the two men behind. It wasn't that he was feeling particularly good about leaving them like that, he just trusted that they would listen to his final word. Usually the hermits got along without anyone as a leader, so he just hoped they respected his command. He quickly unequipped his diamond armor and elytra, storing them in his inventory. Then, he looked EX in the eyes, who just nodded. Without another word, the two brothers stepped into the portal.

X was encompassed by familiar blue light, electricity running over his body. It was very different from the Nether portals with their warm magic, or the end portal with it's cool infinite void. A wave of loud noises crashed over him, and Xisuma felt his body being pulled at by the portal, wrangled through dimensions, and shaped back together until he stumbled out onto cool metal floor. It was good to be back. 

"Welcome home, Xisuma.", a polite, familiar voice greeted him as he was still getting his bearings. 

"Hello, Vega.", X answered, a slight smile on his face, but his joy of being back home was overshadowed by worry for his dad. The portal crackled loudly again and EX arrived behind him. 

Xisuma took a quick look around, while EX was already on his way to the door. They had arrived in the central command room of the Fortress of Doom. Everything was looking like usual; the screens showed data of the castle, VEGA's logo hovering above them. Personal items were strewn around the room, a mug of forgotten tea stood right next to the communications panel. Everything was illuminated by the blue light from the portal pad, which started to dim.

"Alright, let's just-" X started, but was interrupted when the crackling electricity of the dimensional portals started getting louder and brighter again. 

With a yelp, two people stumbled onto the portal pad, falling over each other, a heap of black shirt and blonde hair. A loud series of _**CLONK**_ s echoed through the room as diamond armor was forcefully ejected and scattered to the floor, landing on some toes and causing a high yelp of pain. 

Two sets of eyes sheepishly stared up to Xisuma as he walked back to them, one blank and red, shutters wide open, and the other slightly teary from pain and so dark the pupils almost disappeared in it. Their owners had not yet moved from their spot lying in front of the portal.

Xisuma stemmed his arms into his hips.

"Oh my _goodness_ me, what did I _**just**_ tell you."


	2. VEGA feels like he's herding cats.

Impulse and Tango stayed silent. Impulse was looking up at Xisuma, still rubbing his toes and trying not to make a face. His diamond leggings still laid over his shin, and he found himself unable to pull out his leg from underneath it. It started to become numb. Tango, meanwhile, was looking around the room in wonder. He seemed completely unaware of how annoyed their admin was, instead focusing on taking in as much as he could of this strange alien technology. The man was in awe, mechanical eyes whirring softly as he took in the scene.

Xisuma loudly cleared his throat, then squatted down in front of the two hermits. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the portal fizzling out and powering down completely. The surrounding parts started retracting into the floor, and he let out a sigh. 

"Please, Tango, Impulse, _tell me_ ; what was the last thing I said to you?" He tried to keep his voice as calm as possible, but saw Impulse shrink in on himself nonetheless. 

"To, uh, stay away from the portal?" He suggested with a nervous grin. However, Impulse couldn't help but glance around the command deck either. 

"Xisuma, this is amazing!" Tango exclaimed, bouncing to his feet. His eyes were sparkling as he took in all the new technology and impressions. 

"And _what_ did you do?" Xisuma kept asking, grabbing Tango by the back of his vest before he could run off.

Impulse gulped, drawing up his shoulders. "We um, we may or may not have gotten just accidentally a _little_ closer to the portal..."

Xisuma sat down Tango next to him, then just stared them down until they went quiet. They both were finally getting the feeling that they might _possibly_ be in trouble. 

Tango was the first to break the silence. "Look, X, I was just curious! I... I didn't mean any bad, I just wanted to see where you came from and to meet your dad, and have a little look! We can-... we can just go back, alright?" He looked behind him, only to see that the portal frame had disappeared already. "...Maybe not."

"I will need a while to recharge before I can open another portal, my apologies.", a voice from a speaker said. Tango and Impulse both looked up to the ceiling instinctively, trying to find the source. 

Impulse was still trying to pull out his leg from under his diamond gear. Somehow, it was a lot heavier than he was used to. He couldn't move it even a centimetre. "X, a little help? What's happened to our armor?" The three hermits looked to the floor, where the various pieces of Tangos and Impulses armor were scattered, including their elytra. 

"You can't have that here." Xisuma explained curtly. He got to his feet, heaving up the leggings. Where Impulse hadn't managed to nudge the heavy piece at all, Xisuma simply lifted it up until Impulse could pull his leg out, then slid the leggings to the side of the room. They made a weighted grating noise on the metal floor. "VEGA can explain. I want to see my father first. You should be safe in this room, but do _not_. Touch _anything_. Do you get that?"

Tango and Impulse nodded, kinda intimidated by their admins intense stare, able to be sensed even from behind his strider-shaped helmet. Impulse absent-mindedly rubbed his shin.

"And don't leave this room."

With that, Xisuma briskly made his way to a door in the back left of the room, where EX was waiting for him impatiently. The door automatically slid closed behind them, and left Tango and Impulse in silence. 

* * *

"Sheesh." Impulse simply commented after X was gone. 

"...Well, that was... something." Tango finally said, slowly gathering himself up from the floor and brushing off his pants. 

"Do you think he's really mad at us?" Impulse asked. He was worried, he had never seen the admin that annoyed. Xisuma was usually very mild-mannered and patient, even if dealing with a bunch of chaos-inducing hermits running off in ten different directions. 

"Eh, he'll come around." Tango answered. The red-eyed man was already starting to wander, looking at the controls on the various desk-like structures of the room. "Who's this VEGA guy X has been talking about?"

"I believe that would be me." The polite voice from the ceiling said, slightly startling the two Hermits. They stared upwards once again, trying to find the source of the dismembered voice.

Tango dared to ask: "Who are you?"

"My name is VEGA, I am the sentinent intelligence assigned to this station. Pleasure to meet you, although i believe you were not meant to be here."

"Sentinent AI? For real? Oh that is so cool!" Tango got incredibly excited, questions already burning on his tongue. 

Impulse, previously still busy staring at the pieces of diamond armor around him, took note of something else. "Hold on, did you say station? Are we literally in space?" The two hermits took a glance at the windows, which did indeed show a nice view of the planet earth and surrounding space, and then looked at each other, eyes sparkling. They scrambled to the control desks, all worries about Xisuma, his brother and his dad forgotten. One of the screens apparently was the source of VEGAs voice, and they immediately peppered him with questions. 

"What kind of AI are you? How old are you? Wait wait, who created you? Did Xisuma ever hack you? Do you have embarrassing childhood pictures of him? How much data can you save per day? How large is the data storage here? What do you eat in space? Is Xisuma's Dad as tall as him? Even taller??" Tangos talking speed reached new records. 

"What kind of spaceship are we on? Is this where Xisuma grew up? In space?? Is that earth? Can the ship fly? How many people live here? How does gravity work? Why is the diamond armor so heavy, does it have to do with that? How do you make the portals? Why did the armor come off of us? Who build this ship, it looks old!" Impulse bounded around the desks, looking at all the text and strange symbols. 

"Can you tell us something about Xisumas dad? What about EX? How long have you been on this ship?"

"How do you know Xisuma? Did he ever try to troll you?"

VEGA easily started answering their questions one by one. "The self-learning kind, about 74 years, Dr. Hayden unfortunately, no but he tried, yes absolutely, that is a bit of an unspecific question, it can sa-"

"Hold on, wait, i totally lost track of what we were asking..." Tango interrupted him, raising his arms in defense against the onslaught of information. He had a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry for asking so many questions at once."

"I do not have any memory problems, i could do this all day." VEGA answered cheekily. "But i do believe maybe introductions are in order first. May i ask for your names? You seem to have come with Xisuma from Hermitcraft, no?"

"Right, sorry." Tango laughed.

"My name is Impulse." Impulse introduced himself with a wide grin. "Nice to meet you!" He picked at his hair like he always nervously did when meeting new people, brushing it towards his forehead.

"I'm TangoTek, Tango for short. And yes, we came with Xisuma from Hermitcraft. Well, after him. Without him knowing. Ah, details." Tango looked over the data shown on the screen in front of him, noticing a little sound bar next to a circular symbol that lit up whenever VEGA talked. 

"Nice to meet you, Impulse, Tango." VEGA replied promptly. "Welcome to the Fortress of Doom."

The two of them finally took a minute to properly take in their - admittedly very impressive - surroundings. 

They stood in a wide, open room. It was comprised of several walkways leading up to the exit of the room, with low railings around them. The hermits currently stood on a central pedestal. An orb-like object was set into the floor in the very middle, a symbol on it glowing in a red-ish color. Left and right from them, desks with screens were built in, presumably for controlling the ship. In front of them, the arches of the portal they came through had retracted into the floor, making soft clanking noises. Every part fit into the next seamlessly. The front wall was a singular, huge window, glowing blue. Impulse walked over to touch it, but then decided against it. The room was decorated with strange lights and statues. It seemed very old, yet incredibly technologically advanced. It made Tango and Impulses engineering senses tingle. Neither of them had ever seen something like this, and they were incredibly excited about finding out how it all worked.

I looked like it was lived in, though. There was a sweater flung over a railing here, some scribbled notes strewn over a desk there. Lost coffee and tea cups stood on the floor to the sides. An electric guitar was leaning on the far left wall. Hallways were branching off of the main room, but it seemed like the doors had all been closed automatically. 

Behind the large front window, they could see earth. It was a magnificent sight. Some of the landmasses seemed darkened and singed, some had green returning to them. Both Tango and Impulse were lost in the sight for a few moments, each thinking of their own homeworlds. For Impulse, it had been more than a while since he had last been home. Ever since he had been summoned to Hermitcraft, he had stuck around his new friends. He glanced over to Tango. The blonde's man mechanical eyes where spiraling slowly, taking in the amazing sight, adjusting between the far distance of the plant outside and the close proximity of the screens and desks. Tango seemed lost in thoughts as well, red eyes spacing out into the distance. 

Impulse smiled, then turned around to VEGA again. 

"What happened to this earth? It looks... beat up."

"There was a demonic invasion, about 27 years ago. A vast part of humanity got destroyed, unfortunately, before the Slayer managed to stop the onslaught."

Impulse grimaced at the mention of demons, even though he quickly figured the demons in this universe were most likely very different from his home. Still, he made a mental note to keep his... less human features as hidden as possible. Once more, he ran his fingers through his hair, making sure it was covering the little nubs near his forehead. He knew they would return to their full horn size if he lost his composure, so he always took care to not get too heated.

"Demonic invasion?" Tango re-joined the conversation. "Oh, wow. We don't have that on the server - For the most part." He grinned and nudged Impulse in the ribs, who just shot him a quick glance. 

"I thought Xisuma was over-exaggerating when he said it was dangerous." Impulse frowned.

Tango just laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Well it sounds like this invasion had been taken care of a while ago, right VEGA?"

"Affirmative." VEGA agreed. 

There was a short pause before Impulse spoke again. "VEGA, could you tell us what happened to our diamond gear? It got all heavy and kinda just... ejected itself from us." 

Tango took a step over, looking at the diamond leggings that Xisuma had just barely been able to lift off of Impulse. He nudged it with his foot, but it didn't move. Curiously, he tried to pick up his helmet instead. It was.... well, heavy. He could slightly lift one side off the ground, but already his back was complaining and his arms were straining. With a loud CLANK, he had to drop it to the floor again as to not get his fingers caught under it.

"Yeesh. Its all... heavy-ficated and stuff. Thats so weird!"

"Ah yes, I can explain. Xisuma experienced this the first times he traveled between the Hermitcraft servers and this dimension. We concluded that the diamond armor abides by your universes laws in your world - including you being easily able to carry it in your inventory and equip it. But when it gets transferred here, it is under this universes physics. Diamonds are a very dense and heavy material, so naturally you would not be able to lift a solid object of it. In your world you can simply equip it as armor, but this world does not have a system like this."

"You can't equip armor here?" Tango was amazed. 

"There are ways to strengthen your armor, but no, you can't equip armor over your clothes like you are used to doing. You do have a way to store weapons here though. All the weapons previously in your inventory should be in your weapon wheel now, according to Xisumas and EX's experiences."

"Weapon wheel?" Impulse instinctively opened his inventory like an old habit - only to realize he couldn't. There was no way to access his traditional Minecraft inventory. He had been carrying a variety of blocks and gear, but he saw himself impossible to even look at them, including even his hotbar. Judging from his expression, Impulse figured Tango had come to a similar conclusion. He tried again. Instead of opening his inventory, a round menu popped up, which was indeed wheel-like. It contained his netherite sword and his bow, as well as his axe. In the left corner above a shiny new health bar, he saw a little TNT block sectioned off. 

Tango apparently had the same setup. "Whats the small slot on the left?"

"That would be your equipment slot. It is usually for assigning explosives."

A cheery grin spread over Impulses face, while Tango frowned. "Why would my explosions slot have a be-..... Oh. Oooohhhh!" He squealed with joy as he realized. 

"What is it?" Impulse asked, amused.

"Nothing. You'll see."

"Oh that never bodes well." Impulse chuckled. He knew Tango too well. 

"Anyways VEGA, the real reason we're here - despite ignoring X's orders - what is Xisumas dad like?" Tango expertly changed the topic. Impulse just nodded to it, expectantly staring at the screen with VEGAs logo on it. To be fair, the question had been burning on his tongue as well. The spaceship castle was more than fascinating, and both hermits wanted to know more about how Xisuma was raised here and who else inhabited this building. 

"The Doomslayer? What he's like?" Despite his even tone, VEGA sounded amused. Tango shot an excited glance to his friend, just mouthing 'Doomslayer' silently. _What a title!_ "Where would I even start? The Doomslayer has been on a crusade against hell's minions for many thousand years, according to a series of demonic lore transcripts. He originally came from another dimensions earth but was stationed on a mars facility. It was overrun by hellish forces, and events have led to the Doomslayer closing a portal to hell from the other side. He stayed in hell and fought demons in an endless battle, unrelenting. Meeting an order of knights called the Night sentinels, he got bestowed even more powers by them. "

Tango and Impulse were stunned. Hell? Mars? Portals? Thousands of years?

Neither Tango nor Impulse said a word for almost an entire minute. That was just... a lot to take in. VEGA stayed silent as well, allowing them to catch up.

"...And that dude is Xisumas dad?" Impulse finally said, disbelieving. 

"Yes. I will spare you the details, but he was created from the Slayer's DNA. The Doomslayer and me rescued Xisuma and Evil Xisuma when they were little, and we raised them here on the castle."

"'Created'? Xisuma... is he some sort of clone?" Impulse asked before he could stop himself. "Not that it would matter, i'm just curious."

"Please don't spare us the details, I wanna know more!" Tango was amazed. 

"Maybe at a later date, when the situation is not as urgent. I will leave it up to Xisuma and EX what they want to share about their past."

Impulse nodded. "Alright, that's fair."

Tango inspected the mechanics of the portal again, which were completely hidden in the floor right now. In front of the window, there was a little pool of coolant water which the portal parts had risen out of. Tango kneelt down and reached out to stick his hand in it, just to see what the temperature was like. 

"Please don't touch the coolant water." VEGA stopped him. "And Impulse, i would kindly ask you not to change our broadcast settings."

"Aww." Disappointed, Impulse stepped back from the left-hand screen, which was used for receiving various broadcasts. "What's this then?" He moved to the opposite screen, which read 'Hermitcraft 7' in the middle, with other minecraft servers listed as well. Impulsively, the redstoner pressed on the 'Hermitcraft 7' button, causing a warning of 'interdimensional portal recharging. Override?' to pop up. VEGA quickly locked the screen.

"This terminal is used to calculate a destination for the interdimensional relocator, the portal I opened up to get Xisuma here. I would recommend not messing with it as an inexperienced user."

A loud crash and yelp distracted Impulse from pouting, and he saw Tango had wandered around the outskirts of the room, stepping on and shattering a lone tea mug that had been standing on the floor. He was looking abashed and quickly shoved the shards off of the walkway with his foot. They clinkered down the innards of the ship. 

"Don't worry about it, I will clean that up later." VEGA commented on it. Tango couldn't tell whether his robotic voice was tinted in amusement or exasperation.

"What's happening to us now? Are you gonna send us back home?" Impulse asked.

"Unfortunately I must recharge the energy cells before i can open up a portal to Hermitcraft again, so you will have to wait about 34 minutes and 16 seconds longer. Xisuma has made his way to the Slayers room to see him, and he has asked me to tell you again not to leave this room please." VEGA explained.

"Yeah yeah, we're staying! He doesn't need to babysit us! We're not gonna break anything!" Tango rolled his eyes. He was leaning over the railing, still trying to spy where the tea mug shards had fallen. 

Impulse nodded eagerly. "Besides, we can think of a few questions about this place we could ask you."

"...A few hundred, yes."

VEGA hummed. "Ask away then, i will gladly try my best to be of help."


	3. Xisuma starts to be a little stressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: mild body horror

Xisuma hurried along the hallways and staircases of the fortress, their layout well-known to him. He was staring at Evil Xisumas back in front of him, but his mind was elsewhere. He was more than worried about his dad, and now Tango and Impulse were here on the station with them! He really didn't need that. X was worried enough about the rest of the Hermitcraft server in his absence already, and now for these two in particular to be here... _Well, they should be fine if they just stay in that room until VEGA can send them back. They should be fine if they don't touch any buttons. They should be fine if they don't wander around the castle._ Xisuma clung to his hopeful thoughts, already knowing that his wishes would not be granted. He knew Tango and Impulse too well for that. They were curious, troublemakingly so.

"VEGA? What are Tango and Impulse doing right now?" he asked, just because he couldn't help it. They were stepping down one of the many ornate staircases of the castle. Banners with the mark of the Doomslayer on them lined the walls. Xisuma remembered wrapping one around his shoulders like a cape when he was a kid, and running around the castle with it.

VEGAs soothing voice came from the hallway speakers. "We have introduced us to each other, and they are currently asking me a multitude of questions."

"They're still in the command room, right?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. Tell them I said to stay there."

"I will do, Xisuma."

"Thank you." He sighed once more. His thoughts circled back to his father. What had happened to him to have EX so distressed? Looking at his brother, the red-clad man still seemed to be shaking. They had made their way to the elevator below the command deck, not even paying attention to the remains of a giant mecha that was suspended on chains in the large room.

"EX?", Xisuma asked, causing EX to startle. He closed up to his brother, stepping into the elevator next to him. It started making its way down. "Is it... really that bad...?"

EX hesitated, his helmet tilted downwards. " **...Yeah.** ", he finally said, his voice sounding scared and pressed. " **He has all this weird... stuff growing on him, i don't know what it is. Looks demonic. You'll see... I gotta warn you though, it looks pretty bad.** "

Xisuma frowned. This wasn't good news.

They got out of the elevator in silence, into the lower decks of the station. Not quite down in the basement, but stopping halfway down on a specific floor. The top three floors were mainly operative rooms, the living quarters were mostly on the fourth and fifth deck. That area of the station was a lot more homely than the large ancient hallways made of stone and metal. Reaching the left hallway, they arrived in front of the Slayers bedroom. 

The door opened automatically in front of Xisuma, courtesy of VEGA. The lights were dimmed, and theroom was a little warmer than the rest of the castle - VEGA probably didn't want the Slayer to freeze. The shelves full of action figures and books and guitars still looked exactly like Xisuma remembered, but his focus was on the bed on the side of the room. A few steps carried him over. His father laid in the bed, only wearing half of his armor, blankets mostly kicked off his body. He seemed restless, face under his helmet flush with fever, and his visible skin was covered in sweat. However, there wasn't much of his skin visible in the first place, as a good portion of it was covered in veiny, red-purplish... _flesh_ growing on it, for the lack of a better description. It started at his shoulder and snaked down his right arm, bulging outwards and distorting the shape of his muscles. The spread continued upwards over his neck as well, disappearing under his helmet. If he looked closely, Xisuma could see a single vine or two starting to emerge on his cheeks. A bit of blood was seeping out from the growth on his biceps.

Appalled, Xisuma took a step back, not even daring to touch the mass. "Oh my goodness... What _is_ that?!"

"I... I don't know." EX had taken off his helmet, looking deflated.

X gulped before stepping closer to the bed. He carefully knelt down next to it, just besides his fathers head. "Dad?" He gently asked.

The Doomslayer turned his head towards him. His eyes were unfocused and half-closed, but wandered over Xisuma's figure. "Hey, Dad." The Slayer brought his hand up, grabbing Xisuma's helmet from the front. His grip was unusually weak, his hand almost sliding off. Xisuma let him turn his head left and right to look at it, then softly took his dads hand and removed his helmet. He realized he was still wearing the strider helmet and felt a little silly about it now. Of course his feverish dad would have a hard time recognizing him. He took a deep breath. The air on the castle was perfectly adjusted for Xisuma, EX and the Slayer himself to breathe. Humans like Tango had no trouble with it, but it was just more suited for X and EX with their modified DNA. In earth or overworld air, they always felt short of breath after a minute, hence the helmets. 

The hand came up to his face again, this time more gentle, cupping his cheek. Xisuma smiled at his father. 

The Slayer just let out a barely audible sigh, and his hand dropped down to the bed again. 

"Dad, it's me. Xisuma."

The hand raised once more, forming a single sign: X

"Yeah, I'm here. How are you feeling?" Xisuma had no idea how much sense it made to talk to him in his state, but he was just so worried. His dad had never been like this. He had never been.... _weak_. He had always cared for them, always been there for them. To see him feverish and barely keeping it together broke Xisumas heart. What happened?

The Slayer strained to form more signs, his hand shaking. His right hand, which was covered in the weird fleshy infection, was tightly clenched into a fist, knuckles white. 

_D O N_

Xisuma patiently waited for his dad to sign, even though he seemed to struggle with it more and more.

_T W O_

The Slayer flinched, squeezing his eyes shut and focused on breathing for a moment, his free hand twitching towards his purple-covered shoulder. He seemed to be in pain, and X carefully rested his hand on his other shoulder, silently encouraging him.

_R R_

"Don't worry?" Xisuma asked. The Slayer gave a short nod, and Xisuma took his hand so he wouldn't have to form more signs. "Don't worry about you?"

Another small nod, barely noticeable.

"Dad, come on. I'm your son, of course im gonna worry about you! You look horrible!"

The Slayer huffed in amusement. He was exhausted and closed his eyes for a moment. Xisuma softly shook his head, pulling the blanket further over his father so he would be nice and comfortable. He tried to struggle against it, but apparently was too weakened to do much, so he just gave up eventually. X noticed how hot and feverish his skin was. Whatever that weird growth on his shoulder was, it was having some sort of effect on the Slayer. Xisuma had no idea what it could be, though. He had never encountered anything like it. However, he did know what to do for a fever.

"EX, do you have a damp towel or anything? He's got a fever. I think I'm gonna make him some tea or maybe soup first but..." Xisuma turned around, only to find his brother not next to him as expected, but at the far end of the room. "EX, what's going on?"

Evil Xisuma looked... sad. _Upset_. Something was eating away at him, X could tell, and he assumed it was not just their fathers sickness. EX sighed very heavily. He set his helmet down on one of the shelves, and X noticed how much he was avoiding looking at their dad or him. The admin narrowed his eyes, but waited for EX to speak. He seemed to wrangle with himself, then let his shoulders slump down. 

"...I think that demon stuff is making him like this. I tried to pry it off, to tear it away, but it's... it's really gross and slimy, and its somehow.... attached to his skin. It started to bleed when I ripped it away, so i had to stop. And then it just kept growing back and spreading more, and that's when we decided to get you..." EX's voice cracked, and X could tell by his body language that he was about to cry again. He tried to pull himself together however. 

Xisumas anger melted at the sight. He took a few steps over to his brother, carefully wrapping his arms around his shaking frame. EX buried his head on Xisuma's shoulder, clinging back onto him for dear life. For a moment, Xisuma just hugged him. Softly patting his back, he waited a minute for EX to calm down. 

"Hey EX, it's okay. We can handle this, alright?" EX just sniffed, so Xisuma unwrapped his arms and held him at shoulders length. "V?"

EX looked up upon hearing his old name, but his eyes shifted away as soon as they met Xisumas. 

"Look, we'll help dad together, right?"

Taking a step back, EX nodded. He wiped over his face with his sleeve, but still didn't look Xisuma in the eyes. X had the unsettling feeling that he was hiding something sink into his stomach, but he pushed the thought away for now.

"Dad has helped us so many times, now we need to do the same for him. We just have to think things through and not fall into a panic. You hear me, V?"

"...Alright." EX finally said, picking at his gloves. His voice was quiet. "What're we s'posed to do now?"

Xisuma returned to his fathers side, smoothing out the blanket. "Let's think about this for a minute. Two things are most important: Making sure Dad is comfortable and doesn't get any worse, and figuring out why he is like this in the first place."

"You... You think he's gonna get worse?" EX whispered, falling into a panic, the one thing X had told him not to do. His expression was shifting, lines on his face becoming apparent. If X had been paying attention he could have noticed his eyes appearing redder and brighter than usual, and his teeth being just a little sharper as he rubbed over his face.

"...I don't know. I've never seen anything like this either!" Xisuma threw his hands up in exasperation. He noticed the Slayer shifting as he had slightly raised his voice and EX slinking back, so he forced himself to take a breath first. "Okay. Okay." He was already stressed about Tango an Impulse being on the Fortress of Doom, and his dad being barely conscious, there was no need to get mad at his brother for being upset. 

"First, VEGA, what can you tell us about his condition?" He asked. While VEGA was answering, Xisuma started to look through the drawers of the Slayers room, looking for anything useful. EX was standing by while he tried to control his emotions, he looked a little embarassed. He was taking deep breaths as well.

"The Slayer was... physically fine until yesterday evening at 11pm, when I noticed an increased heart rate after he had fought against some demons on the training deck. He had an uncharacteristic raise in body temperature, so I advised him to end his training early and go to bed. At first, he listened to me, but he couldn't sleep as his fever got worse."

"I met him in the hallways and tried to get him back to bed, but he-.... he wouldn't listen." EX mumbled. 

Xisuma noticed VEGA making a pointed pause. EX squirmed uncomfortably, rubbing his hand over his arm. 

"What about the demon stuff?" Xisuma asked, collecting as many towels as he could over his arm. Finding an old package of unopened tea, he shrugged and added it as well.

"After a restless night, he woke up this morning with a fever, and organic matter spreading over his skin. His condition has gotten worse since then. EX..."

Evil Xisuma interrupted the AI. "Around noon, I was wondering where he was, and found him collapsed on the command deck. I managed to get him back to bed, but couldn't get rid of that growth."

"I convinced EX to ask you for help, Xisuma, since two sets of arms are always better than one, and since you would probably want to know if anything happened to the Doomslayer."

"I do. Thank you, VEGA." Xisuma knew his brother didn't easily ask for help about serious matters, instead trying to solve them himself and usually making things worse. "We can figure something out. Do you have any idea about what this could be?" He vaguely pointed to the disgusting mass attached to the Slayers side.

"Unfortunately, I have not been able to get a scan on it. Based on visuals, it resembles the growths in places of demonic invasion or gore nests we have seen in the past. I do not know what effect that would have on the Slayers body, or why it would be there."

"Hm." Xisuma hummed, stopping to look at his father. "Can you scan him?"

"I could do a full body scan in the medical bay on the lower deck. However, the Slayer seems in no condition to go there on his own."

"I see, we'll get him there." Xisuma nodded. "Thank you, VEGA."

"Of course." VEGA replied. "To be quite frank, i am just as concerned about him as you are."

A smile played around Xisumas lips. He knew how close VEGA and the Slayer were, and through how much they had been together already. "I know you are. Don't worry too much, VEGA, alright? You know what he's survived already, this is nothing to him, right?"

VEGA let out a rare chuckle, crackling through the speakers. "I've seen him quite literally shoot himself as a bullet towards the surface of a planet. I think you are right, Xisuma."

Xisuma noticed how the Slayer visibly relaxed at the sound of VEGAs voice, his hands unclenching ever so slightly. 

"Alright." Xisuma nodded to himself, then shoved all the towels and supplies he was carrying into EX's arms. "EX, please carry this. Dad-" He approached the Slayer's bed again. His dad seemed a little unfocused, but was blinking at him vaguely. "-I'm sorry, but we need to get you to the medical bay. Can you walk?"

The Slayer nodded, propped himself up on his elbows to swing his legs over the edge of the bed, and promptly plunged out of the bed onto the ground. He pulled his blanket and half of the pillows down with him. 

"Oh goodness me." Xisuma muttered. He helped his Dad up, and with one of his arms slung over his shoulder he started making his way out of the room, EX following behind. The Slayer was heavy, and most of his body weight was leaning onto X, so the admin ended up more dragging him towards the medical bay than simply helping him. It was quite a ways away. They had to walk down several hallways and a staircase until they got to the small room in question. 

VEGA opened the door for them, and Xisuma carefully put the Doomslayer down onto the medical bed. It was a very small room, besides the bed it only had a cabinet filled with - albeit mostly used up - bandages and medications. Xisuma spotted the remains of a bunny bandaid set their dad always gave them when they were little. On the ceiling were various scanners and other advanced medical equipment. X remembered seeing the Slayer getting fixed up after a mission by VEGA. Right now, the scanners were being lowered so they could run over him while he was on the bed. The Slayer seemed to have gotten somewhat worse. He was breathing heavily and was barely taking note of what was going on around him. Xisuma noted his skin was sweaty and clammy, and decided that he needed to get back into bed as soon as possible. 

"Running scans now." VEGA announced. He sounded worried. Blue arcs of light ran up and down the Slayers body slowly, taking extra time at the reddened mass over his shoulder. They had left a little trail of blood drops and smears coming in, and Xisuma frowned. He stepped back from the Slayer as to not distort VEGAs scans in any way. 

EX was still standing in the hallway, out of the room. With the heap of towels in his hands, he looked incredibly lost and awkward. 

"EX?" Xisuma asked him. EX jumped.

"Yeah?"

"...Could you go up to the kitchen and make dad a hot cuppa tea? And if you would be so kind, please make a damp cool towel or two, alright? That should help to ease the fever. Maybe we can make him some soup later, but for now we should get him back to bed and wait for the results of the scan."

"O-Oh, yeah, alright." EX simply agreed, and with a last nervous look to the Doomslayer, he left. His footsteps were sounding down the empty hallway. 

Unnerved, Xisuma made a face. That was definitely not normal Evil X behavior. Something was up. Going back into the medical room, the admin wondered whether he should just chalk it up to stress about their dad being sick and give EX the benefit of the doubt, or if he should ask him about it. 

VEGA seemed to be just about done with his scan, the medical equipment was currently ascending back upwards. The Slayer half-heartedly waved at it and smiled at the ceiling, apparently at least somewhat aware of his surroundings. X approached him and he tried to get up, but once more had to lean onto X for support. Together, they started making their way back towards the Slayers personal quarters. 

"VEGA, what did you find out?" Xisuma asked while they were walking - or rather, limping - across the hallway.

"The Doomslayer's body temperature is at 41.3°C and still rising. Even considering the fact that he has a higher body temperature than most humans, this is a giveaway to a severe fever. The mass on his shoulder seems to be a sign of some kind of demonic infection. It has similar attributes to the demons he fights regularly."

"Uh oh." X muttered. VEGA opened the door to the Slayers bedroom for him and turned on the lights. 

"The infection seems to have taken hold in him, but I do not have sufficient data to predict anything about the course of this illness. I cannot formulate a plan to treat it, either."

Xisuma mulled over VEGA's words as he gently helped his dad back into bed. The Slayer was constantly trying to escape his grip and walk himself, but seemed just too exhausted to coordinate his movements. The mass on his arm sure looked like a 'demonic infection'. But what did that mean? Would his father turn into a demon? A zombie? One of those creatures he regularly tore to shreds? Surely that couldn't be it. X shook out the sheets from the Slayers bed before placing them back over him. 

"VEGA, what does that mean? Do you know of anything similar to this?"

"I do not have any information on demonic infections, unfortunately. The data I have recorded since i was with the Doomslayer only refers to fighting demons, not the biology of them."

Xisuma frowned. "I'm gonna take your helmet off, okay dad?" He asked. When he got a nod, he carefully pulled the helmet off the Slayer's head and set it down on a shelf nearby, next to a very old looking acoustic guitar and an album cover of some metal band. The Slayers dark hair was sweaty and clung to his forehead. His face was flushed with fever, and his eyes seemed a little sunken in as if he hadn't slept well. Xisuma took in the few red veins that were already snaking over his right cheek, firmly attached to his skin. He could even see them throb a little bit if he looked closely.

Just out of curiosity, he poked a smaller part of the demonic growth on his fathers shoulder. It was fleshy, but surprisingly firm, and just a little slimy. Xisuma was glad he was still wearing gloves. More than a little disgusted, he wriggled a finger as far as he could under one of the veins, and tried to pry it off. It resisted. When he pulled a little harder, it tore at the Slayer's skin, and Xisuma could see little tendrils that were attached to the skin being pulled taut. He barely managed to get it a centimetre away from the skin before it started actually ripping off skin. The Doomslayer let out a little pained grunt, and Xisuma quickly stopped. He didn't want to hurt his father more than he already was, and EX had already said he tried pulling off the mass. That was why there was blood seeping out from it in the first place. 

Repelled by whatever this was, Xisuma wiped his hands off on his pants before tucking his father into his blanket even more. The Slayer smiled and gave him a weak ' _thank you_ ' sign. 

"EX is getting you some tea right now. You just stay in bed and rest, okay? We will sort this out."

The Slayer sighed. He formed a fist with his free hand, and brought it up to his chest to describe a small circle. ' _Sorry'_.

"Oh don't be silly now." X huffed. "You've got nothing to apologize for, Dad." He looked around the room, unsure of what to do. After a short amount of consideration, he took one of the little Slayer action figures his Dad had collected and set it down next to him on the nightstand besides his dad. He patted his fathers shoulder." Just try to get some rest, okay?" When he got a tired nod, he took a step back from the bed. 

Xisuma had been thinking about VEGAs words, as well. "VEGA, is there any way for you to get additional data on this?"

"Unfortunately, I do not have access to any databanks that cover the topic of demonic infection. However..." VEGA hesitated, which made X stop in his tracks. 

"However?"

"I know about one databank that could potentially have the information we need."

Xisuma felt himself growing impatient when VEGA didn't immediately follow up on it. "Which would be...?"

If VEGA could sigh, Xisuma was sure he would have at this point. "I know Olivia Pierce has done extensive research on this topic during her time at the UAC mars facility I was assigned to. Unfortunately, when the Slayer took a backup of me with him, he only downloaded my core personality and critical memories. He did not take all databases of the mars facility with him - understandably, since there was only limited space for data on the disk he took. However, that means any research data from the UAC science department is no longer available to me if it hasn't been made public on the internet."

"Mmmh, I see." Xisuma muttered while processing the information. "And you think that Olivia Pierce's demon research papers would help us figure out what's going on with dad?"

"There's a high chance i will be able to evaluate her data, and compare it to the Slayers vitals. I believe if there is any information on how demons came to be and how they infect humans, it would be in Pierce's research entries. She has done multiple tests on the subject, even experimenting on the demons themselves."

Xisuma shuddered slightly at the thought of experiments and laboratories and demons and people collecting data and-... He shook his head. No time for spiraling down that road, he had a father to help.

"How do I get that data?"

"There is a slight possibility it is still backed up at the Mars facility."

"Guess I'll be making a day trip, then." 


	4. Xisuma and Evil Xisuma prepare for a Mars vacation

After meeting back up with EX in the Slayers bedroom, they had tended to their dad, putting damp towels on his forehead and providing him with calming tea. That was all they could do for now to help him be more comfortable - Xisuma had not found any traditional fever medicine on board, and he doubted it would help against a demonic infection anyways. He had explained VEGAs new insights about the research papers on Mars to EX, and the brothers had quickly agreed to go on a retrieval mission together. The two of them simply had the best chances to deal with any potential demons that might still be roaming the facility - even if it had been nearly 30 years since their dad had stopped the invasion there and closed all portals to hell. 

With their dads permission, they were currently on their way to his weapons closet. Xisuma still had his netherite sword and his bow on him, but frankly, he would feel a lot more comfortable going to Mars with some more heavy weaponry. They entered the room just below the command deck - which could only be described as the Doomslayer's personal office. A desk with a large PC setup was installed near the window. There was an anvil and adjacent workstation with a half-repaired Praetor suit, and near the entrance shelves full of comic book, action toys, a full weapons arsenal and some sick guitars lined the walls. Xisuma ignored the slight chaos in the room and stepped right over to the weapons rack.

"Aww yeah." EX commented as he pushed Xisuma aside to access the shelf. He went straight for the Ballista, one of the largest weapons in sight. "Oh this is what it's all about." He admired the weapon in his hands, seemingly forgetting about their dire situation. Xisuma slightly shook his head, taking the Plasma Rifle off the rack. He weighed it in his hands, considering, then stored it in his inventory. It aligned itself into his weapon wheel automatically, occupying the lower slot. After scanning over the remaining weapons, he considered the rocket launcher, but then put it back on the shelf in favor of his father's chainsaw. It was heavy in his hands. The fuel tank was completely filled up, as all of the weapons were very well maintained by the Doomslayer.

"Alright, let's go!" EX said, still excited about the Ballista. 

"You sure you don't want to take anything else?"

"Yup! This is all I need."

"What if you run out of Ammo? Please, at least take the shotgun or something."

"...Fiiine." EX complained, grabbing the Slayer's Combat Shotgun. The older and prettier Super Shotgun was not stored in the Weapons shelf, as it was the Slayer's priced personal possession and he always carried it with him. They couldn't use the Crucible either, as the glowing blade only activated in the Doomslayers own hands. 

X nodded, satisfied that his brother had taken his advice for once. Both of them stored away their weapons and left the room, making their way back up to the control room.

Xisuma waited for the loud clanking of the door opening to subside, then stepped back onto the command deck of the station. Immediately he was greeted by tripping on something and knocking it over with a loud shattering sound. He had broken a tower of approximately 13 forgotten tea and coffee mugs, now in shards on the floor. Why had they been right behind the door?

Upon his arrival, two things happened. X heard a loud cry from Tango, who had just been trying to lick the energy beam in the back of the room and slipped into it by being startled from Xisumas loud arrival. He quickly pulled back his head, blue arcs of electricity dispersing and his hair being singed at the tips. "OW!" He exclaimed, rubbing over his eyes and blinking a few times to make sure the electronics in them hadn't been messed up.

"Hey! Our Mug Jenga tower!" Impulse complained in the meantime. "We were still using that!" He was sitting near the window in the front of the control room, his sandals discarded and feet dangling into the coolant water underneath the mechanics of the portal which was currently not in use. The water was glowing blue-ish and little sparks were crawling up and down Impulses legs, but he didn't seem phased. Xisuma knew the water often had strong electric currents running through it and was also otherwise not the best for one's health - yes, maybe he had fallen into it as a kid once or twice. 

"Impulse, get out of there, that's-!!! Why were you playing _Mug Jenga_?? Come on peeps, I left you alone for maybe ten minutes! Jeez!"

"Don't worry, it's just a lil' tingly." Impulse replied, giving X a unusually sharp-toothed skin. However, he did him the favor and pulled his legs out of the water.

"Cant shay the shame about my tongg." Tango mumbled, poking at his numb tongue. 

Xisuma took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, suppressing a growl in his throat. EX followed into the room behind him. Upon seeing the hermits, he put his helmet back on and the red LEDs behind the visor flickered back to life, portraying no emotion.

"How is your Dad, X?" Impulse asked him, sympathetically. He was in the process of putting his shoes back on, sparing a last glance to the coolant water pool - almost longingly.

"Not good, I fear." X replied. "He has a fever, and it doesn't seem to be a normal cold or anything - there's some sort of demonic infection going on." 

Impulse frowned, and the serious tone of Xisuma made Tango stop fussing with his tongue and look up. "Demonic infection?" 

" **Yeah, we're not sure what caused it.** " EX answered in Xisumas place. " **We have to go on a trip to Mars to get more information about it.** "

"To _Mars_?" Tango almost lost it. "You guys can go to Mars?" 

"Yes. There is an research facility from the UAC on Mars - it's the one I used to administer before meeting the Slayer." VEGA explained. "I believe the specific data we need might still be available there."

Amazed, Tango opened his mouth. 

"No, you can't come with us." Xisuma denied him before he could even ask his next question. "The facility is still overrun with Demons and Zombies, we presume."

Tango gave him a pouty glare. "So what about it? We can-..."

"Tango my friend, please, this is not the time."

" **X and me are going, immediately. We'll retrieve the research data so VEGA can evaluate it and make a plan on how to help dad.** " EX explained. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and glared at Tango and Impulse defensively. 

Xisuma nodded. "Yes, exactly. Unfortunately that means you two will have to wait a little longer before VEGA can send you back to Hermitcraft, since the portal needs to be recharged after each use."

"I should be able to open a portal to the outside of the Mars facility in about 2 minutes and 16 seconds. I recommend you gear up and prepare as quickly as possible."

Xisuma nodded in agreement. He took out his communicator, and after tapping on his screens for a bit, his armor shifted back from the strider-red into the usual green color. His helmet he was still carrying in his hands changed back as well, no longer resembling the head of a strider. He pulled it over his head, twisting it into a tight fit. 

" **What was that red armor all about anyways?** " EX sneered as he saw Xisuma change. " **You're such a copycat, X.** "

"Pff." Xisuma couldn't help himself but snort despite the situation. "There's a new nether mob, the strider. You know how much I like seeing new mobs, so I made my armor look like it."

EX considered it for a second. " **Well, it's ugly.** "

"Thanks man. I was thinking of you."

It took EX a second before gasping in offense, just as Tango and Impulse burst into laughter at the exchange. 

Xisuma gave a tired smile behind his helmet, then walked up to Tango and Impulse. "It should take VEGA about half an hour to recharge the portal after we've used it, so you'll have to wait a little bit before you can return to Hermitcraft."

"We don't wanna return to Hermitcraft so soon anyways, so that works out!" Tango gave him an unapologetic grin.

While Xisuma was bickering with the hermits and trying to tell them they should stay in place, EX stayed at the far back end of the command deck. 

A small sound played on the speakers inside his helmet, indicating that VEGA was now on a private channel with him. He stiffened, knowing what would come next.

"EX, I would ask you again to please reconsider your choices. You should tell Xisuma what happened."

" **I... I can't, VEGA. He's gonna hate me.** "

"He's your brother, EX. You know Xisuma, he's not one to hold grudges."

" **Have you seen him today? He's so pissed off with these dudes, he'd tear me apart. And I mean that quite literally.** " EX answered with a sad chuckle. " **Just make sure to keep the door to my room closed and not let anyone in.** "

"I will because you asked me to, but know that I don't condone your actions, EX."

EX let out a short huff, his smile falling. " **Fine by me. When has anyone ever.** "

"EX, you don't-" VEGA started, but their private conversation was interrupted by the sound of the portal being ready to come back online. It showed 'recharged' on the right-hand control screen, and Xisuma briskly walked over and started selecting coordinates. 

"Are you ready, EX?" He then asked his brother. EX nodded, and walked up to the front of the room, but VEGA stopped them. 

"Wait, I have a request. I should be able to open a portal to get you back onto the Fortress once you retrieved the data, but just in case, please let me install a tether system in your suits."

" **What would we need that for? You can just bring us back, VEGA.** " EX was impatient.

"It's just a precaution. I am currently measuring strong sandstorms over that section of mars, so i am not sure my communication signals will reach you once you are down there."

"I think that sounds like a good idea, VEGA." Xisuma nodded. He always liked to be doubly prepared for any situation. 

"Please move over to the right hand side of the back of the room." The brothers did so, and saw two small chips floating in an energy beam on a small podium. Xisuma assumed VEGA had prepared them for them, and grabbed one, plugging it into the chestplate of his suit. It uncomfortably tingled as a small electric current ran over his body while VEGA properly installed the tether. 

"It is devised from the tether the Doomslayer had installed into his praetor suit, albeit not as strong. It won't be able to get you back from other dimensions, but it should be good to return you to the castle from the surface of Mars."

"Or what's left of it, apparently." Impulse threw in. He had watched the camera footage of their destination that was currently displayed on the screen. Mars had a big old hole in it. 

"Unfortunately, your suits cannot provide enough power for the tether." VEGA continued his explanations. "So if the need to use it _does_ come up, you will need to find an external power source to provide the energy. However, I don't think you will need to use it. The sandstorms should die down soon and I will always be able to open up a portal if you need a way back."

"Alright, thank you VEGA." Xisuma gave him a smile. EX had also installed the tether on his suit, shivering from the electricity. 

"Regrettably, I do not have any maps of the UAC facility remaining in my database, so i cannot offer you any guidance." VEGA said while he was extending the contraption that formed the portal once more. Tango and Impulse too a few steps back from it, but were both watching the mechanism with great interest. Xisuma and EX walked up to the central platform right in front of the portal. 

Xisuma confirmed a menu on the right hand screen, and the portal started flickering to life. Electric blue arcs were generated, conversing in the middle and swirling together, until they formed a perfect blue circle. Blue light was pouring into the room. All of the present people were feeling the sheer energy it emitted, and Tango felt the hair on his arms standing up. He shivered. 

"Are you ready to leave?" VEGA asked. 

"Yes. Ah no, wait." Xisuma corrected himself after spotting something out of the corner of his eyes. He stepped off the middle pedestral to pick up what he had recognized as his dads second favorite mug from the floor, placing it down on one of the desks. "There we go. Please try to not break any more mugs, peeps."

"Will do." Tango gave him a cheesy thumbs up. Then, he frowned. "You're... It's not dangerous on Mars for you, right?"

Impulse looked worried as well. "I know you can handle it, Xisuma, but please still be careful anyways, okay?"

Xisuma sighed as he was double checking his weapon wheel. Looking back at the two hermits worrying about him, his stress mellowed a little bit and he gave them a smile. "I don't think it should be too dangerous - after all, it's been abandoned for about 30 years now. I'm sure if there is anything.... left, we can deal with it when we get there."

"That's such an Xisuma thing to say." Tango snorted. 

" **I know right?** " EX muttered off to the side. He still didn't feel like agreeing with the hermits - but making fun of his brother a tiny bit? He couldn't bite back a little comment.

Impulse just snickered. 

"Oh you lot." Xisuma sounded a little amused as well. "If you want to, Impulse and Tango, you can look around the top decks a little - but don't touch anything! And stay on the top floors! And make sure you go back to the server as soon as VEGA has recharged the portal."

Tango and Impulses eyes lit up at the mention of exploring more of the Fortress, and they nodded eagerly. "Yessir!" Tango replied. 

"VEGA, please make sure they don't break anything. And that they _do_ go back. And that Dad is fine and doesn't get worse. And that-"

" **Ughhh let's just go already! We're wasting time.** " Finally, EX had enough of his brothers jabbering, and simply grabbed his arm to drag him towards the portal.

"I do not have the blueprints of the UAC Mars base anymore, but most offices are in the Advanced Research Complex. I think you are most likely to find Olivia Pierce's data there, in one of the offices. The portal is calculated to bring you as close as possible to the right building, but my coordinates might be a bit off due to the sandstorm on Mars' surface - it is disturbing any attempts of using sensors, my apologies. You might need to have to find your way around."

"I'm sure we will, thank you VEGA." Xisuma was getting just a little nervous now, but he tried not to let it show. After all, his dad and his brother relied on him, so there was no reason to make them worry more than they were already. "Okay EX, there's no telling what we will find there, so you better be ready to fight if you have to." Out of habit, he took out his netherite sword. The weight was comforting in his hands, and he took a few calming breaths. 

" **I know, I know.** " EX grumbled. " **They're gonna have to deal with _this_.**" He equipped the Ballista, the large weapon immediately weighing him down. The white-haired man adjusted his grip and stared at Xisuma defiantly, and X knew him well enough to see the cocky grin under his helmet in front of his inner eye. EX loaded the weapon and the huge chains slowly pulled back to put tension on the limb at the front. X shook his head. However, EX got distracted by something. " **X, your sword is looking sick. That new? Might need to borrow that for my next evil conquest.** "

"Yeah, it's called netherite. I can tell you about it some other time. No evil conquests though."

" **Aww. Do you wanna give it to me for demon fighting at least?** "

"Remember that we're getting there to help dad. If we can, we'll avoid any fights."

EX rolled his eyes. They couldn't see it due to the visor, but even Tango and Impulse could tell. 

They had delayed their departure for long enough, so Xisuma didn't further go into the conversation and instead stepped up to the portal at the front of the room. He took a deep breath. His brother walked up next to him, and they shared a glance and a nod. 

"We'll be off, then, peeps." Xisuma said to Tango and Impulse.

"Communications will most likely break off due to the storm on Mars, but I will contact you two as soon as I can. Be safe." VEGA advised them, although he sounded more like a worried parent than a efficient AI now.

Impulse had his hands interlocked behind his back, a nervous habit. "Take care, dude. You as well, EX."

EX huffed and looked away, but didn't say anthing.

"Yeah, same from me." Tango threw in. "Make sure you come back in one piece, Xisuma. And get help for your dad."

Xisuma nodded, trying to be reassuring. "I will do my best, believe me. Let's just hope the data is still there."

The hermits nodded. With nothing left to say, Xisuma took one last glance around his home, and then finally stepped into the portal. EX followed him right after. 


	5. Tango and Impulse are scheming.

"Relocation to Mars successful." VEGA announced loudly, closing off the portal. Normally he wouldn't announce things like that - because normally, when someone left through a portal, he was faced with an empty castle. For his visitors, however, he decided that they might want to know Xisuma and EX had arrived safely and in one piece. He attempted to contact the brothers, putting the visuals up onto the broadcasting screen to the left. However, as expected, the strong storms currently raging above that sector of Mars blocked off his signal. Only static came from Xisumas comm, so VEGA silenced it for now until there was a clear connection. 

"Oh this is amazing!" Tango exclaimed. Both him and Impulse were currently very intently watching as the portal frame retracted into the floor once more, parts gripping into each other and metal plates covering up the floor again as if nothing had happened. 

VEGA checked the status of the portal energy charger. It had started to refill, and he allocated as much energy to it as he could. "By my estimate, the portal will be recharged in about 23 minutes. Spatial relocation - like to the surface of Mars - does not take up as much energy as inter-dimensional portals, like the one I opened up to the Hermitcraft world to get Xisuma back home."

VEGA checked on the other tasks he was currently running in the background. Of course there was the standard stuff, like monitoring the castles power levels and watching out for any news that would be relevant to him and the Doomslayer. Right now, he was also playing music to the Slayer in his bedroom - it was a small melody he had recreated from what the slayer always used to play to the boys on his guitar when they couldn't sleep. It seemed to calm him down, as his heart rate had gone down a little and he was actually dozing off. Satisfied, VEGA dimmed the lights in his room some more and turned down the volume on the music just a smidge. It was his way of showing he cared for the Slayer. 

Tango and Impulse, in the mean time, were just in awe. Impulse was having another test of the coolant water, sticking his hand into the small pool once more. It was hot now, almost to the point of boiling, and he yelped and quickly pulled his hand out again. The water was still seeped with electricity after the portal use. Tango had gone back to wandering through the room, taking in all the small details. 

"So, VEGA, how long do you think they'll be gone for?" He asked while looking at a foreign action comic he had found on one of the desks. Curiously, he started flicking through the pages.

"I have sent them outside of the building to minimize any danger of inaccurate translocation, so they will need to walk a little bit before reaching the Advanced Research Complex. After that, they should be able to make their way into Olivia Pierce's office and hopefully retrieve the data within an hour - if it is still there."

"Are they gonna be safe on Mars? Xisuma said they would be able to handle it, but, ya'know... Demons and such, am I right?" Impulse laughed nervously. "What.... How are the demons here?" His voice was suddenly very quiet. Tango gave him a concerned look, but Impulse was facing away from him, hands put in his pockets. 

"There are many types of demons from the hell dimension, from small ones to skyscraper-sized demons." VEGA started. He considered how to put it into words. "There are ranks among them, and during an invasion, usually the weaker demons will be sent out first, followed by the larger, more intelligent species. However, all of them have shown to be extremely hostile towards humans."

Impulse was silent, lowering his head and scratching the back of his neck. 

"If I may ask, Impulse - you don't seem to be fully human compared to Tango, from what my scanners have picked up."

VEGAs words startled Impulse, and he flinched, immediately followed by nervous laughter. "Ah, got me there!" He held up his hand. As the others were watching, the skin turned into an ashen-black-ish color, and started too look almost a little scaly. "I'm not a human. Can pretty much look like one, though." The skin returned to its normal color and texture by Impulses will, and he quickly put his hand back into his pocket. For a moment, he seeked eye contact with Tango, who gave him an encouraging nod. 

Impulse smiled sadly to the ground as he continued talking. "I'm from a dimension where everyone is like me. We also call ourselves demons, but from the sounds of it, my folks is nothing like your dimensions demons." Still a bit nervous, Impulse picked at the edge of one of the metal plates of the desk of the control room. 

Tango stepped next to his friend, throwing an arm around him. "When I was younger, I did some traveling, and met Impy in one of the dimensions I visited. You should see him when he's all demony! He's got those big horns and pointy ears and his hands become all claw-ificated! It's awesome. And you should see the light show when you summon him somewhere! Makes a man go blind." Innocently grinning, Tango blinked, the redstone mechanism behind his eyes spinning to adjust to the light. 

Impulse cringed slightly at Tangos last words, even if they were spoken with no malice. However, he appreciated his friends support, and playfully nudged him in the ribs as a token of gratitude. 

"I understand. I will make a new file for your species and make sure to configure the castle as to not... confuse you with one of the demons on the lowest deck."

"There's demons on the lowest deck?" Tango perked up. "Can we see them?"

"Oh, can we also see more of how the ship works? This alien technology is incredible!" 

Tango nodded ferociously. "Yeah yeah! Absolutely!"

"Xisuma did say you could look around a little bit, and I don't see why not." VEGA agreed reluctantly. One of the doors at the far back of the room opened, and Impulse and Tango wasted no time walking over there, their steps bouncy and excited. "The small stairway straight ahead will lead you downstairs to the second level, to our 3D printer."

"Oh man, you know who would love to see this?" Impulse asked as he marveled at the metal stairs and the intricate yet functional handrails around them.

"Zed." As per usual, Tango knew exactly what his friend was thinking. "Oh dude, it's such a shame he isn't here. He would have a field day with this."

Impulse stopped to look back at Tango, and the two of them exchanged a _very_ telling glance, having a silent conversation.

"VEGA how long until you can open a portal again?" Tango asked, nonchalantly. Both of them took a turn left and started descending even more stairs.

"18 minutes and 45 seconds as of now." VEGA immediately answered. The two hermits reached the 3D printer of the ship, and a genuine smile of happiness spread over Impulses face as he walked around the futuristic looking appliance. The printer was in the process of creating a new coffee mug for the Slayer as quite a few had been broken earlier - however the printing was currently put on hold as to allocate as much energy as possible to the recharging of the portal. The already existing third of the mug was suspended in a blue beam of light, hovering ominously. Tango and Impulse silently agreed they had never seen anything cooler. 

"Cool cool. Could you tell us the history and details of this printer? As elaborate as possible if you please." This sentence bestowed Tango with a very judgy glance from Impulse, but VEGA happily started providing information. 

Because of this he did, however, miss Tango and Impulse whispering among themselves as they slowly wandered around the many staircases and hallways of the upper fortress levels. 

* * *

"Oh get some of this action!" 

"Nice!" Impulse agreed with his friend. They were both intently watching the automatic door to the command deck go through a complicated opening sequence - skull-like ornaments were turning, metal plates were retracting, until finally the door slid open. Tango took a step back. The door closed again. Tango took a step forward again, and the very noisy sequence started up all again.

The next time, though, it didn't open, and he ran into it face-first. 

"Ow! Hey, what gives?" He complained while rubbing his nose.

VEGA chuckled. "I just wanted to get your attention."

"...Well, you have that." Tango grumbled, checking for blood - luckily, there wasn't any. Impulse next to him just laughed lowly, which earned him a elbow jab to the ribs.

"The Interdimensional Portal is now recharged and ready to be activated again." VEGA's voice announced to them, crisp and clear. Tango and Impulse shared a look between them. They trudged back to the middle of the room, away from the doors. "I can open the portal to any part of your world. Would you like to look up sufficient coordinates on the right-hand terminal?" A menu plopped up on said screen. It was a map of the entire Hermitcraft server, currently centered on the shopping district. Impulse wandered over, taking it in, but Tango had other plans.

"-240 / 72 / -655 are the coordinates, please." The red-eyed man said, with no hesitation. He had a big, innocent-looking smile on his face.

Impulse turned around, looking at him slightly befuddled. "Tell me again why you perfectly know the coords to- OW!" A deft kick to the shin from Tango made him shut up, rubbing his leg with a grimace. 

"Understood, calculating coordinates now." VEGA continued. The map honed in on a specific point, before the screen was replaced with a loading bar as the portal started coming out of the floor in front of the large window again. Impulse stepped closer to the frame, which was just now whirring back to life and building up the actual portal by channeling blue tinted energy. He had a big nervous grin on his face, and was rubbing his hands together. His fingers seemed just a little more claws-y than usual.

Tango, meanwhile, was rummaging around the back of the room. He picked up some remaining mugs from the floor, setting them down on a desk. Then he picked up a sweater, looking at it as if thinking about if it was his, then deciding to put it down again. 

"Portal is open and ready for you to go back home." VEGA announced, drawing their attention. Tango gave Impulse what he thought to be a sneaky thumbs-up.

"Alright, i'm going!" Impulse cheerily answered. He took a last look at his diamond armor that was still lying in the corner of the room, then simply shrugged and stepped into the swirly blue of the portal with little to no hesitation. Instantly upon being swallowed by the light, his form disappeared.

"Interdimensional relocation successful." Came VEGAs immediate response. "Tango, I suggest you follow as quickly as possible. I will let you and Impulse know once Xisuma and EX are back here safe and sound."

"Great, thanks." Tango replied. "I think I have left something lying around here, though, let me just check around this corner." He moved even farther away from the portal. He was at the very back of the room now, looking around the energy beam ports and even checking behind them. 

"I do not pick up any foreign objects on that part of the ship, Tango."

"Oh? Well maybe it's over here then!" Nonchalantly, Tango sauntered over to the other side of the room, checking behind the album cover hung up on the wall.

"What items are you looking for? I can help you by running a scan."

"Nah don't worry about it, Veggy-boy! I'm sure I must have left it around here somewhere, you know how it is, brain just goes _shwoop_! and I don't remember where I put my stuff! Happens all the time. You know, one time, I was working on a project, and would you believe it! I totally forgot my redstone box in a cave. Just - all gone. Just like that! And then I had to walk all the way over there, just to get my stupid box, and then I walked all the way back to my project. Did some serious exercise-ification on that day, I tell ya. Think it was back when I built the cactus farm, too. Have I ever told you about my cactus farm, VEGA?" For once, Tango used his ability to talk really fast to his advantage - to distract VEGA.

It was working, as well. VEGA, polite as he was, didn't want to interrupt Tango, so the redstoner just kept on rambling and talking about increasingly arbitrary stuff. He only abruptly stopped when he heard a noise behind him - the portal was being activated. And yes, sure enough, two people arrived on the warp pad at the middle back of the room. Impulse was laughing and yelling, his demon horns protruding from his forehead and his hands forming proper claws now. With them, he was gently holding a second person, wrapped tightly into a blanket like a burrito. Looking closely, Tango could see a very sleepy, very confused looking face. It was crowned by a heap of blonde, extra messy hair, with round curled horns hidden within the bed-head locks.

"ZEDAPH!" Tango exclaimed happily, throwing both his hands into the air in excitement. Running over, he all but fell over Impulse and Zedaph to embrace his friends in a tight hug.

Impulse, slightly out of breath, let himself drop to the floor, laughing loudly. " _Whew_!" He let out, satisfied that their little operation had gone so well. All three members of team ZIT now re-united formed a huddle of limbs on the floor of the command deck. 

"Impulse? Tango? Where am I? Where are you? Where is anyone, really? Are we even anywhere?" Zedaph, still sleepy, started to ramble. More than confused, the sheep-human tried to tangle himself out of both Tangos embrace and his blanket that Impulse had grabbed him in. It was not going well for him. Just a minute ago, he had been fast asleep in his recently contraptified bed and now.... Well, where _was_ he? "Am I finally having that out-of body experience that people always talk about when they have their wisdom teeth removed and are all weird and loopy? Impulse, did you remove my teeth? Be honest. It's fine if you did, I just want to know. I'm not mad at you! Well, maybe I am a little. Depends if i get to keep them or not. Or do you want to keep them? What are you, some tooth fairy demon? If that your true identity? Oh my god, I think my whole life has been a lie! My best friend is the tooth fairy!" Zedaph had been thoroughly unsuccessful in his attempt of freeing himself and surrendered to just lying in a pile of blankets and friends. 

"I'm not the tooth fairy, Zed. ...Or _am I_?" Impulse answered with a cheeky grin and a trademark Impulse-chuckle. "You can keep your teeth, though. I don't want them."

"What do you mean, you _don't want my teeth_?" Zedaph somehow managed to sound offended and half-asleep at the same time. 

"Guys can we stop talking about teeth? Look around yourself, Zed! We're in space!"

"Aren't we always in some form of space? Granted we exist, of course."

"Yeah, but not in outer!" Impatient, Tango grabbed Zedaph by his armpits and started dragging him towards the window. The portal was still opened, but he made his way around it to show Zedaph the starry sky and the planet earth below them. 

"Tango, Impulse, what happened? Who is this?" VEGA piped up from the ceiling, almost forgotten. 

" _God_??" Zedaph was in awe. Between being in literal outer space and strange ceiling voices talking to him, it was all a bit much for his sleepy brain. 

"My name is VEGA, the-"

"Sentinent AI! He's controlling this ship! He's kinda like X's father! Isn't that cool, Zed?"

Impulse walked on over to them, finally recovering from his laughing fit. He had taken a second to breathe, and his horns had shrunk down again, returning him his more human appearance. 

"... _Xisuma was raised by a ship_?" Zedaph was even more confused, if possible. Impulse went right back into his laughing fit, even worse than before. "Tango, that raises so many questions. For example, why doesn't he use 'starboard' and 'port' instead of left and right? ...Right and left? What are the ship terms again?"

"Zed, pull yourself together!" Tango offered him one of the mugs that had been standing around. Zedaph instinctively grabbed it and took a sip out of habit - and immediately drew a grimace and nearly dropped the mug as he tasted cold, stale coffee that had been standing in this room for only VEGA knows how long. 

"Oh, that is _vile_! What is that!"

"Space coffee?" Impulse suggested, still wheezing. He took it upon himself to free Zed out of his blanket, throwing it on the pile of diamond armor that was still laying around. Luckily, Zed had not been wearing armor to bed himself. Impulse finally pulled him upright by his armpits until he stood on his hooves himself. Zedaph sheepishly rubbed his eyes, then after all took a look around himself. 

"Impulse, why have you brought this person onto the Fortress? You should be heading back home. I am already keeping this portal open over the recommended amount of time."

Tango glanced over to the portal while putting away the mug of old coffee he had tried to get Zed to drink. The blue light was still swirling and blistering, but there seemed to be more and more little sparks of lightning coming off, and the coolant water below was quite literally boiling. The right-hand screen of the control panel warned about portal energies rising to critical levels, and high energy depletion. 

"Oh come on VEGA, we can just go the next time you open up a portal!" Impulse started to argue. 

"Yeah! We wanna show our buddy Zed the Fortress! Can't have a Team ZIT adventure without the Z, right?"

"What is a Team ZIT?" VEGA asked. 

Impulse didn't let it deter him. "Yeah, especially if we're in space! I wouldn't wanna have Zed missing a _space adventure_!"

Both Tango and Impulse had their arms slung around Zedaphs shoulders, who was looking from one to the other, more and more excited. 

"Please do not consider the Fortress of Doom a 'space adventure'. You are just here until-"

"Oh I'm invited? I'm so lucky! Mr. VEGA, please, I would love to have a look around your... you! Since you are the space ship and all." Zedaph asked, very politely, but with sparkling eyes. Now that he had somewhat caught up to current events, he was fully awake and excited to know more. 

The screen on the side read 'critical temperature reached'. VEGA hesitated. After a few seconds, the portal fizzled and died out, it's frame retracting into the floor once more. Tango and Impulse started cheering loudly. 

"I'm not the space station, I am merely an AI who happens to be watching over the Fortresses functions and help the Doomslayer on his missions." VEGA explained once more. He sounded... resigned. 

"Doomslayer! That's Xisuma's dad!" Tango exclaimed. 

"Xisuma has a dad? Wait, is he here as well?"

"No, he's on Mars. With Evil Xisuma, too. Unless you mean the Dad, he-."

" _Evil Xisuma?_? He's back? Did he abduct X to Mars?"

"No, no, they're brothers. They hunt demons. Also their dad has some sort of space fever."

"... _What_?"

"Look, Zed, we'll bring you up to speed. But you've got to see that space mecha first! It's amazing!" Impulse stepped in. He started dragging Zedaph towards the doors. 

"Could I ask of you to stay in this room and not wander too much?" VEGA requested. He closed off the doors to the command deck, both left and right and the middle one. He expected that to deter the three hermits from wildly running through the ship to explore. Sure, Xisuma had allowed them to wander a little, but that had been in regard to just Tango and Impulse. Now that there were three of them, they seemed a lot more unpredictable. 

"Oh, exciting! I wanted to know how these doors work since I got here!" Tango rubbed his little hands together as he approached the door. Impulse was already gleefully tearing parts of the metal plating off the side of the door to expose the wiring. 

"Bet I can get mine open faster than you!"

Not five minutes later, Zedaph was the first of them to short-circuit and open his door, followed closely by Tango.

After that, VEGA resigned himself and just opened the doors for them. He couldn't contain them anyways. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art for this chapter: https://ambered-glazed-sheep.tumblr.com/post/626615053048791040/i-kinda-forgot-but-the-last-chapter-of-my-fic-was


	6. X and EX have a GREAT time on Mars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: violence/blood, trauma, mentions of past child abuse
> 
> (this is also where the 'canon-typical violence' of the doom part of the crossover slowly starts showing)

"Looks like we can go in there." Xisuma said, pointing ahead with his sword.

EX followed him, hoisting up the Ballista once more to carry it. He would never admit it, but the thing was quite heavy. 

The two brothers had arrived on what was left of the surface of Mars, not far from the Advanced Research Complex of the UAC facility. As expected, a storm was raging over this part of the planet, and red sand was whipping into their faces, making them glad for their helmets once more. It stuck to their armor and skin, soon forming red mud crusts. The majority of the storm was up high above them in the atmosphere, though. It was cutting off communications, and they had lost contact to VEGA and the rest of the Fortress of Doom, as expected. 

Making their way towards the building, Xisuma had spotted a railway system, disappearing just into the place they wanted to go. 

The atmosphere on Mars was a little rough, but nothing they couldn't handle. Thanks to their helmets, they could breathe just fine. Their suits weren't exactly airtight, especially with Xisumas arms exposed, but neither of them much problems with the low air pressure. They were feeling the difference for sure, but despite a light headache and a bit of bruised skin it wasn't doing them any harm. Their steps were bouncier than usual, but gravity increased to normal levels as they got closer to the facility. Xisuma spotted some solar panels on the roof of the UAC building, and guessed that some of the emergency generators must still be running. Apparently a gravity generator was part of that. 

" **You think there's gonna be any demons left?** " EX asked him, now starting to sound just a little anxious over the thought. 

"Mh, not very likely. Dad went through here - and you know how he is with demons."

EX pulled up his shoulders, uncomfortable. " **Yeah.** "

"Hey now, you know that doesn't include you. Anyways, it's been almost 30 years, I don't know whether the demons would survive for this long. Let's just have a look."

Xisuma was immediately proven wrong. They had reached the tracks, a system build for a magnetic type train, suspended several meters above them. It was still holding up, even though the metal plating was covered in rust and claw marks of various sizes. The tracks stretched out far behind them, running into the other buildings of the UAC facility, and on the other side they were swallowed by a large doorway leading into the Advanced Research Complex. Xisuma could see movement in the shadows of it and grabbed his sword tighter. 

EX grumbled as well, but wordlessly started trekking along below the magnetic rail track. Xisuma followed him, growing more wary the closer they came to the building. Anxiety was nagging at his stomach. He had no idea what to expect from this place, to be quite honest. Him and EX had been on similar bases with their dad, for example the resistance base on Phobos with all its scientists - but they had never been on Mars, let alone an abandoned UAC facility. They had fought the occasional demon or zombie though, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. In front of him, EX seemed to have troubles getting forward. The whipping winds of the storm above him were bringing him out of balance, since he was still carrying a giant unwieldy weapon. Xisuma knew full well if he suggested to maybe put it away, EX would simply not do it out of spite, so he had to try a different approach if he wanted to help him.

Closing up to his brother, he twirled around his sword in his hand, showing it off. "Bet'cha I can get more Zombies with my netherite sword than you with your diamond one." He tried to sound playfully competitive like usual, but stressed as he was, it probably didn't sound quite as light-hearted as he wanted it to. 

EX stopped, staring at him with a slightly tilted head. Immediately, he switched the Ballista out for his own sword which he still had from season 6. " **Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you?! No way. Just because it looks fancy doesn't mean _you_ have gotten any better with it.**" He twirled his own sword around his hand even faster than Xisuma had done before, dropping it in the process. " **Whoops. Pretend you didn't see that.** " He quickly picked it up while Xisuma just shook his head with a small smile, then both of them continued on their way. 

" **So, what's the plan once we're in?** "

"What do you mean?"

" **Well, obviously we want to find the office of Olivia whomstever, but how do we get there? Do we just look around willy-nilly all over the place? Or do we look for a map or something?** "

Xisuma realized he had been so caught up in his worry about his father and the hermits, and the anxiousness of going to Mars, that he hadn't even thought ahead this far. "I... I'm not sure. Looking for a map sounds like a good idea."

" **Derp.** " EX scoffed, even though it wasn't as energetic as usual. " **Seems like I'm the one with the brainsmarts after all.** "

Xisuma frowned, not playing into EX's mockery. "Where do you think we could get a map?"

" **I don't know, some sort of head office? Can you ask VEGA?** "

Raising one hand to his helmet, Xisuma once more tried to make contact with VEGA. Static greeted him. "No, still nothing. Guess we can't do much else other than go in there and look for an interface to get a map."

" **That's what I've been saying.** " EX tried to sound smug, but he wasn't quite on his normal game as well. After sharing a short nod, the brothers continued in the shadow of the rail tracks. 

The Complex building was growing larger and larger over them as they approached it, the darkness of the entrance soon encompassing them and swallowing them just as it did with the tracks. Gravity had increased to the level they were used to from the Fortress of Doom or the Overworld. Apparently they were now in full range of the gravity generator of this part of the facility. They found themselves in a train-station-like, large room. It was in a sorry state, to say the least. A big part of the ceiling was either torn out or straight up withered away. Debris and dust was all over the floor, and everything was covered in a thick coat of red sand that had been carried in by the winds on the surface of Mars. It was sticking to everything, forming a crust. Xisuma was already not looking forward to prying it out of the nooks and crannies of his suit. All furniture was either broken in half or at least knocked over. A train cart was still in the station, but it was no longer suspended by energy and magnetism over the tracks. Instead, it was tilted and half slid off the rails. All the windows were broken, and they could see very old claw marks and bullet holes all over it. 

Some lone zombies were in the room, standing incredibly still, almost like in a trance. Upon Evil X and Xisuma entering the room, however, they perked up, then started shuffling towards them. Xisuma shook his head, mentally correcting himself. These creatures were called _Posessed_ , not zombies. VEGA taught him. He tried to remember. The AI had described them as former humans, infected by demonic influences. Xisuma shuddered at the implications of this. Would that mean his father would end up like these... things? 

He stared at the twisted, mangled bodies dragging themselves towards them. They were barely just skin over bones. The skin looked dry and mummified - definitely like something that had been here for 30+ years. An angry shout startled Xisuma, and he saw EX plunging his diamond sword through the chest of one of the former UAC employees. Very aggressively, EX twisted the handle around, before kicking back the Zombie and retrieving his sword. Two more of them turned their eyeless heads towards him, slowly followed by their bodies. They started approaching. 

"Just leave them, EX." Xisuma asked of his brother, gently pushing at his arm until EX let himself be led away. "They probably won't come after us very far if we just leave them alone."

EX hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow Xisuma. He was shaking slightly, and X noticed how tightly he gripped onto his sword. 

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked after helping the red-clad man up a ledge. Both of them constantly kept their eyes out for anything more aggressive than the occasional misshapen Posessed they were coming across. They just swerved around them to avoid fighting.

" **Just tense.** " EX answered, glancing at the door at the back of the room. Seemed like they had to climb up one more ladder. " **Can you blame me?** "

"Not really, no." Xisuma frowned before following EX up the terribly rusty ladder. It creaked at every step and Xisuma even managed to break off one of the old bars. He dropped it. 

The brothers arrived at the upmost level of the room, in front of the door that would lead them further into the Research Complex. The door was slid open, jammed by debris and misuse. Xisuma could see the metal being bent at the edges, like someone had dug very strong fingers into them to pry them open once. He had a suspicion as to who that could have been. 

The two of them entered the next room. I was a modern looking building, a large room with hallways branching off. It seemed like it used to be clean and nice-looking. Xisuma saw water dispensers, desks, reminders of posters on the wall - it was an area you would receive guests to the building in. Of course, nowadays, it was all torn down. This part was in a slightly better state than the train station they had come out of, but only due to the fact that not as much Mars sand had been swept into the building. There were no more Posessed in their field of view, but as the brothers took a few steps in, Xisuma heard a low growl from around the next corner. Him and EX both raised their swords. 

A demon crawled around the corner to the next room. It was just a little larger than your average human, and had sunken in, mean yellow eyes - an Imp. Xisuma knew they were able to throw balls of fire, so he instinctively took a step back, while EX stepped forwards instead. The Imp hissed at the sight of them and coiled back, priming it's body to take a leap. It seemed... malnourished, as far as X could tell. The leathery skin was stretching over clearly visible bones, and the thick armor plating that demons usually showed was cracked and brittle. Nonetheless, it's teeth seemed as sharp as usual. 

" **She's hungry.** " EX commented, readying his sword as the Demon took a step back in anticipation for attack. 

"That's not re-" Xisuma started, but was interrupted by a bloodcurdling hiss as the Imp leapt towards EX. It seemed almost... desperate. EX was probably right. 

The demon made contact with the diamond blade of EX's sword, trying to catch it between it's sharp teeth. EX charged forwards, trying to drive the blade into the demon, but it was blocked between the strong jaws of the imp. The demon held against EX's force, and before Xisuma could even do anything, there was a loud shattering noise as EX's sword broke into shards.

" **Oh, what!** " EX cried out, quickly jumping back from the very confused demon, which was shaking out blue splinters from its face. " **What happened to my sword!** " He was taken aback - giving the demon the opportunity to gather it's senses and jump after him once more. 

This time, Xisuma stepped in, throwing both his body and his sword between his brother and the demon. Once more, the jaws closed around the sword - but this time, the result was a shrill grating noise of teeth on netherite and a pained hiss from the imp as it staggered back. Xisuma followed up on it, swinging his sword in a broad arc like he was used to from minecraft combat. It was halted by the thick plates on the demon's neck. With an angry scream, the Imp tried to gather fire in its claws. Xisuma didn't give it the chance, instead pulling back and repeating his attack with much greater force behind it. This time, he lobbed the Imp's head clean off. 

Blood splattered on the floor, and over Xisumas boots. Both brothers just stared at the demons body for a few seconds, before it started burning up at the edges and soon turned into nothing but ashes. 

Xisuma looked between his sword and the spot on the floor where the demon had been. He was breathing heavily. With a shudder, he stored away his sword and took out his fathers plasma rifle instead. He'd rather have some distance between himself and any potential other demons, than repeat what had just happened. That demon had died to his sword just a little too easily for his tastes. 

" **Hey, how come your sword didn't break?** " EX complained. He was still holding the handle of his diamond sword, upset with it breaking. " **This was my good sword!** "

The admin looked over to him, still a bit shaken from the short fight and its result. "... Netherite. It's stronger than diamond, so I suppose the demon couldn't break it. Just... get another weapon and let's leg it, okay?"

" **Fine.** " Once more, EX took out his ballista. " **But next time we see some demons I get to use this thing, alright?** "

"Whatever lets you sleep at night." Xisuma didn't have the nerves to argue with his brother right now. 

Quite frankly, he was stressed. So it was easy to just fall back and let EX with the Ballista take the lead for now. They started making their way through the Research Complex.

* * *

EX was leading the way, generously using the Ballistas red laser beams to clean out any lone Zombie or starving demon they were approaching. It was loud, it send heatwaves across his arms when he fired it, and the recoil made it hard to stay on his feet, but to be quite fair, EX's heart wasn't quite behind it. Usually he would have enjoyed the edgy weapon so much more. Yes, he _did_ go out of their way to fire at unsuspecting demons with their backs turned. Yes, he _did_ do his maniac evil laugh every time he did so. Yes, it _did_ the first time manage to get a weak chuckle out of the bundle of nerves that was his brother currently - but his heart wasn't in it. 

When he realized he wasn't really doing anything much to cheer up or distract Xisuma, he eventually gave up his antics, and just got wordlessly rid of any enemies that blocked their way to the offices. His Ballista was quite literally burning through his ammo and the Possessed alike. They encountered two more Imps as well - they suffered the same fate, but the sight of them made EX's stomach twist. He quickly averted his eyes and kept on walking, trying not to think about their sharp teeth and their faces that looked so much like- 

A loud CLANK behind him made EX jump and almost drop his weapon, so he turned around. 

"Ah jeez." Xisuma grumbled. He was stuck up to his knee in a metal stair step that had rusted away and broken under his weight. The admin definitely didn't sound amused. He set down his rifle and worked on getting his leg un-stuck. It looked quite comical, but something about the scowl on Xisuma's face made EX swallow down his mocking comment and just keep a look out for any intruders while X was struggling. The sharp metal edges cut up Xisuma's shin guards pretty badly, but luckily they didn't manage to cut through his gloves as he bent the rusted metal out of the way. He broke off some bits in the process, and dirt and rust covered his hands all over by the time he managed to finally break free. 

"Ugh." He grumbled as he heaved himself out of the broken stairs and climbed up to the next platform. Picking back up his rifle, he got back to his feet and brushed off his pants. Instead of offering him his hand to help, EX took a few more steps farther down the hallway. They were on a heightened place and could look down into the reception area. The surroundings looked fancier than what they had seen so far - pots that had once inhabited plants lined the walls, and EX could even see the occasional poster or picture on the walls. They were all rusted and barely recognizable, though. Curiously, this part of the building still had power - EX figured it ran on a different circuit than the train station and hallways. Maybe there was a lone emergency generator somewhere still giving it it's best. The thought somehow made him sad. 

Going further along, EX spotted the entrance to a sectioned off bit of the area. It looked... important. The door was heavy-duty and tightly locked. Not bothering with the withered sign next to the door, he walked up to the door, unsuccessfully trying to pry it open. The motion sensor didn't seem to work anymore. 

" **This looks like a big office.** " EX mentioned to get Xisumas attention. " **Maybe there's building plans in here.** "

"Worth a shot." Xisuma agreed. "Go ahead." To EX's surprise, he pointed towards the Ballista and took a step back. 

" **Oh yeah, that's...** " EX trailed off, raising the weapon and pointing it towards the door. This was a lot easier than what he had expected - Xisuma going ahead and trying to pry the door open with sheer force. He pulled the trigger, the following laser beam echoing painfully in his ears even through his helmet. The heavy recoil made him stagger backwards. Usually he would have greatly enjoyed shooting holes into the surfaces of unassuming objects, but today he just wanted to get it over with. Storing away the Ballista, now finally out of ammo, he carefully stepped over the freshly molten metal of the door. 

He had to blink a few times before believing his eyes. The room he was in was in almost pristine condition besides a bit of dust - no signs of demon carnage or destruction. Granted, it was all a bit old, but the furniture was still upright, the flower pots with gold rim weren't broken, and overall it looked a lot more... homely than the rest of the facility. They were definitely on the right track. Across from the entrance, there was a small lounging area. Two nicely cushioned chairs were accompanied by a small coffee table, now decorated by metal debris from the door. A window to the outside of mars was behind the chairs, although the bits not caked in sand from the outside were just showing more sand that was still being transported at alarming speeds due to the storm. The metal ceiling had a gold trim. It was all looking suspiciously fancy. Left and right from the lounge was a glass screen each, and the right one was still working and had a holographic image projected onto it. 

EX's stomach dropped and his hands went cold when he recognized the portrait that was projected onto them - it was the robotic body of Dr. Samuel Hayden. 

Feeling bad memories resurface like on a bubble elevator, EX quickly averted his eyes and turned right. The last thing he needed right now was Samuel Hayden. Honestly, the man had done enough damage in their lives. One of EX's first memories was the metal chassis of Hayden looming over him, telling him to get back up after yet another failed experiment. He remembered clutching his face, blood pouring down, struggling to get back to his feet. He remembered the demon Hayden had unleashed on him, just to see how it would turn out. Not well for EX, was the answer - or Xisuma himself, for that matter. Both of them had received more than one scar during their time in Haydens labs, not all of them physical. 

EX shook his head, suppressing a shiver. Clenching his fists, he trudged on, doing his best to ignore the giant Hayden portrait that seemed to mock him for still being afraid even as an adult. _What does it matter!_ , EX tried to tell himself. _He isn't here! We're just here for the Research Complex plans. In and out. Maybe I can thrash his old office a little bit!_ Trying his best to entertain and distract himself with such thoughts, he walked to the actual office room, past a receptionists desk and yet another lounging site. 

And he almost managed to ignore the dread in his stomach, the spiral his brain was trying to go down. 

_Almost_. 

A loud shattering sound made EX jump, followed by the clinking and clanking of hundreds of small shards dropping down to the metal-plated floor. 

He whipped around, just to see Xisuma, fist stretched out and punched right through the holographic screen that had previously shown Haydens face on it. His hand was still balled into a fist, glass shards embedded into his skin now. EX could hear Xisuma breathe heavily, and he was shaking as he stood still with his arm still extended, every muscle tensed up. 

" **...X?** " Evil X softly asked, taking a few steps back towards his brother. Xisuma didnt answer at first, but slowly turned around as EX came closer. EX gulped as he saw a faint yellow glow in his brothers eyes, but the moment passed quickly as Xisuma slowly pulled back his hand and forcefully un-clenched his fist. More glass shards hit the ground. 

" **X, come on.** " Evil X started. He took Xisumas hand and gently brushed off any remaining shards, picking off the ones that were stuck in the skin. Small pearls of blood formed at the punctures, and EX could feel his brother still trembling. " **You know he isn't here anymore.** "

Xisuma didn't answer immediately. His body was still frozen in place, so Ex looked up to his face. X's eyes were back to their normal gentle purple color, but his gaze was flicking around nervously, and EX could see his jaw muscles clenching and unclenching. His brain was working through things rapidly.

" **X.** " EX grabbed both sides of his brothers helmet, forcing him to look at him. This seemed to get his attention. " **We're alive, X. We're here. Hayden isn't.** " He had never been the best at comforting words, but figured some facts and honesty were what his brother needed to get him grounded again. 

Xisuma winced at the mention of Haydens name, but regained his composure somewhat. "I... I-.. yeah. Yes. You're... You're right, V." He took a step back and a deep, deep breath, then shook out his hand that was now mildly cut up by the glass shards. "You're right. I'm... sorry for losing my composure." 

" **Hey, it's fine. It's okay. I get it, you know?** " 

Xisuma looked at him for a moment. "... I know you do. Thanks, EX." He was staring to the floor, his thoughts lost somewhere between the shattered glass on the ground, glistening in the flickering lights. He frowned under his helmet. In the dying light of the abandoned Mars facility, he just looked really... lost. Small. 

EX glanced at the shards of the portrait, then tentatively opened his arms to offer Xisuma a hug. Xisuma hesitated at first, but didn't resist when EX softly wrapped his arms around him in a gentle hug. He stiffened first, but then melted into the touch. EX heard his brother sigh as strong arms wrapped themselves around his back to reciprocate the hug. EX answered by holding him just a little tighter. Xisuma rested his chin on EX's shoulder- he couldn't see his face, but EX felt his breathing and how he deliberately tried to get it controlled and relaxed again. 

After a few moments, X started wriggling out of the hug, so Evil X let him go and took a step back. 

" **You good?** " He asked him, watching intently as Xisuma stretched his arms, took a second to pick at the small glass shard cuts on his hand, and then picked his plasma rifle back up. 

"Yeah. I mean, not really, but yeah. Let's go." He confirmed after a short huff of breath. 

Giving the broken portrait no further attention, Xisuma made a straight bee-line for the office at the end of the hallway. EX followed. He was worried for his brother - it had been a few years since the topic of Hayden had last come up, and back then neither of them had handled it very well. 

The office room was annoyingly large. A single lone desk stood in the middle of the room. 

" **Hmpf, clearly _his_ office.**" EX sneered. There were stone statues at the sides of the room, and a large window lined the back. It could have looked noble, but something about the whole room and the surreal contrast between Haydens office and the rest of the abandoned building made it just... pretentious. It was a little sad. 

Xisuma looked around the office, clearly uncomfortable. "Let's just get this over with." He finally said in a very quiet voice. There were no demons in the room, so he stashed away his weapon and slid behind the desk to access the PC. 

" **Looks like Haydens rooms are running on their own circuit. The power still works.** " EX commented. He was idly fiddling with the Ballista as he scanned the room. It was just like Hayden to have his own personal rooms leeching power off the emergency generators that were apparently still running, instead of being tied to the main electricity circuit that was now down. 

"Mhm." Was Xisumas short answer. "Ah, I can't access the research data from here, but I found the plans to the building. PC wasn't very secure."

EX nodded, in thoughts. The longer he stayed in the office, the tenser he became. " **Figured.** " He watched as Xisuma finished downloading the blueprints. Just seconds later, he got a popup on the HUD of his helmet visor and a small map became visible in the corner. " **Thanks, X.** " 

"Now let's get out of here." Xisuma just said, leaving the PC as is and all but fleeing the room. He didn't look back once until he was back in the main hallway. EX couldn't hold it against him. The brothers hadn't been in this room specifically before, but Hayden's shadow just seemed to loom over them nonetheless. 

The left Haydens personal rooms behind, putting a bit of distance between them and the destroyed metal door. Only then, both of the brothers stopped and took a few deep breaths. 

"Alright." Xisuma said. He closed his eyes for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. EX took his Combat Shotgun out just in case they had gotten the attention of any demons, but save some distant skittering sounds it was relatively quiet. "Let's see where we have to go." Xisuma continued. He tapped on his communicator, projecting a holographic map of the Advanced Research Complex in front of them. The hallways were fairly reasonably built in order, and it all seemed to converge in a round-ish building at the back. "Hm, looks like we have to go up here and pass two large rooms, then take a left at the round bit. Shouldn't be too far." 

EX peered down the hallway, then nodded. " **Sounds do-able. Let's not waste any time then, right?** " 

Xisuma nodded. He closed down the maps, then took out his Plasma Rifle again. Frowning, he walked over to one of the windows of the hallway. It was just a small slip of glass, but they could see the sand storm above them slowly getting weaker. Instinctively, X tried to contact VEGA once more. Still nothing. "Ah well. Let's hope we can get back to VEGA once we have the data."

 _If it still exists_ , EX added in his thoughts. He didn't say it, though. Instead, he just nodded, and started walking into the direction X had just described. 

EX lead the way, his Shotgun at the ready. He felt... restless, somehow. He felt like he had the need to chat after the incident in Haydens office, but didn't quite know what to say. Should he ask him how he's doing? Say something consoling? He considered his words. Moving quickly, he was a bit ahead of his brother. 

They entered a large, more open room. Xisuma was a bit more careful, startling at every noise and keeping an eye out at every corner. He saw his brother turning around, a few meters ahead of him. 

" **So, your Hermits, huh!** " EX decided to break the tense silence after all. He was speaking in a playful manner, walking backwards to look at his brother and stretching out his arms. " **Don't listen to ya either, don't they.** "

Xisuma looked at him with tired eyes, then slightly relaxed. EX was very obviously trying to distract him, and he decided to play into it for once. "Not in the slightest, my friend." He huffed out a breath of air. "Buncha rascals, these hermits. Especially those two."

" **So, how long do you think it will take for your Hermits to get hurt on the fortress?** " 

"Pffsh, they're not gonna get hurt! It's our home! Its perfectly safe, not even Tango and Impulse could get into trouble at the Fortress of Doom." Xisuma quipped back. He seemed in a little bit of an better spirit, at least. VEGA was still there, after all. X tried to listen to whatever EX was answering, but was immediately distracted - his eyes widened as he saw a shadow drop over his brother.


	7. Tango, Impulse and Zedaph get into trouble at the Fortress of Doom, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i split chapter 7 up in two parts! because uhhh it was double the length of a normal chapter, and there are enough cliffhangers to go around anyways :)
> 
> so part 1 will be an extra update, and part 2 will be posted as regular on wednesday!

"Anyways, that's basically how we ended up here." Tango concluded his short recap of the events of the evening. He rubbed his eyes, then turned around to Zedaph with a beaming smile. "And now you're here with us! We didn't wanna go on a magical space adventure without you!"

"Yeah, you better not be!" Zedaph laughed. He was busy taking in as much small details of the station as he could - from the large space windows to the weird little statues that were scattered around, from the weird energy beam thingies that they couldn't figure out the use of, to the blue lighting throughout the building. It was a weird, amazing place. It seemed so old and ancient, like it was build thousands of years ago, but at the same time was incredibly advanced.

"Anyways, you've been saying something about space mechas...?"

"Oh yeah! Right this way good sir!" Tango made a little bow and let Zedaph step down the next staircase first. It led them into a large, open room. They were on a circular walkway at the top of the room, having a good view down into the depths. Doors were branching off left and right, and a staircase was spiraling down further below. The three of them ignored the elevator for now and stepped to the railing of the walkway. Zedaphs mouth fell open. 

Opposite of them was a gigantic robot - or at least its upper torso. It was suspended by heavy machinery from the ceiling, and was sitting in what looked like a designated area for it. The head was tilted downwards, the robot was obviously not currently functioning. It looked like it was wearing a helmet. The metal plating on the robot was a dull green, and resembled armor. Zedaph was faintly reminded of Xisumas standard outfit.

"Whoaaah, that's amazing!" Zedaph was thoroughly impressed, half leaning over the railing to get a better look. 

Impulse, who had discovered the robot earlier with Tango, just chuckled. "I know, right? We don't see that every day." He rested his hands on Zedaphs shoulders, just in case he would slip and fall. 

"No kidding!"

"No idea what's it used for, though." Tango sighed. His redstone eyes were lingering on the impressive craftsmanship of the roughly 20m tall machine. 

"The mech stems from Argent D'nur, the homeworld of the Sentinels and the Order of the Night Sentinels." VEGA started to explain. Zedaph nodded as if he understood any of these words. "It has remained on this station ever since the Doomslayer took residence in it. Unfortunately, we were not able to get it to function again."

Zedaph turned left and started descending further into the room, eyes constantly trained on the impressive mecha. The other two followed. As the walkway ended, VEGA automatically extended a sort of drawbridge for them, leading right past the mecha. It seemed so close they could almost touch it - in fact, Tango tried to do so and nearly fell down the bridge as the mecha was just over an arms length away. Impulse expertly caught him before he could plummet down to the bottom of the ancient room. 

"Don't fall down, Tango! This isn't your base." He teased his friend. 

Tango laughed. "Yeah, probably wouldn't do me any good!"

"Ok guys, so this Doomslayer person, who is owning not only a whole space station, but also a huge robot, is Xisumas dad?" Zedaph asked as they left the mecha behind and made their way towards the next staircase. "I can't believe it!"

"Yep! Basically, he's amazing." Tango stated, thus giving a very brief recap on the Slayers backstory. "He's X's dad and now he got sick apparently. Oh Impulse, we should totally go visit him and say hi!"

Impulse _hmmmm_ -ed loudly. "Ehh, i dunno." He ran his fingers over his hair. "If he's sick, maybe we should just leave him alone, ya know?"

"We could bring him some soup and other sick people-y things!" Zedaph suggested, waving his arms wildly. 

"Oh yeah! And tea!" Tango was excited.

"What else do you bring a sick person? Swords?"

"Oh maybe! Oh he had a lot of guitars, maybe we can play him a song!"

The two of them were throwing ideas back and forth, while Impulse was peering over the railing of the room. There was about another 15m deep drop to the very bottom of the room. At the floor, there were plants to the sides, and a cracked stone path in the middle. It seemed old. However, Impulse could also see the blue-ish light of a screen glowing softly in the darkness. As he looked up, he saw that there was an elevator with a glass case on the wall opposite to the giant mecha.

They turned away from the room to go through another doorway, leading into a staircase. The three of them entered the next floor of the station. It lead them into a hallway, coming out right next to the elevator Impulse had seen. Taking a turn left, the hermits wandered through the 4th floor from the top of the castle. It looked a lot more lived in - posters were lining the walls, scuff marks on the floor prove frequent use, and some bunny slippers laid abandoned in the hallway. Zedaph wondered who they belonged to. They peered into the rooms to the sides, but didn't enter. All of the sudden, they were feeling like they had walked into someones apartment rather than a space station, and they became very self-aware of intruding someone's personal living space. That didn't mean they stopped doing so, though. 

The first room to the left side of the hallway was full of shelves with collectibles, action toys, comics. Guitars lined the walls, and an extensive setup of amps and other musical equipment was scattered thorough the room, as well as some training equipment. Zedaph took a wild guess and assumed that Xisuma wasn't the only one in the family who liked playing music and working out. 

Directly across the hallway, there was a kitchen, oddly ordinary. Sure, everything was still looking incredibly technologically advanced and sci-fi-like, and yeah maybe there was a chainsaw hung up with the kitchen knives, but other than that! A perfectly normal kitchen. The water in the coffee machine was glowing a sickly blue. Zedaph wanted to step in and take a closer look at the child drawings hung up on the fridge, even if just alone to see if it was from Xisuma, but he noticed that Tango and Impulse had already gone ahead so he backed out of the kitchen again. 

He closed up to them, just as they were arguing with VEGA in front of the next door over, up a little staircase. 

"The Doomslayer is currently resting, and it is best not to cause him unnecessary disturbances. Besides that, we still don't know if his infection will spread to others or not."

"What if you just opened the door a lil to say hi? You know, it's rude not to introduce ourselves when coming into someones house." Tango grinned, curious as always. 

Impulse, meanwhile, was hanging back, his hands in his pockets and staring at the bedroom door with a slight frown. 

"Oh! I also want to say hi to Xisumas dad!" Zedaph pitched in. "I would like to ask him on his opinion about tooth fairies." He grinned at Impulse and lightly jabbed him with his elbow. Impulse didn't quite seem to catch on on the antics, though.

In the meantime, Tango was wriggling his fingers and eyeing the door controls. They weren't quite sure if it was that that had changed VEGAs mind, or if he had asked the Slayer about it, but eventually the AI gave up. "Please don't go in, though. He's sleeping and needs his rest." He opened the sliding door about halfways. 

Tango and Zedaph peeked in. None of them noticed Impulse taking a slight step back as the door opened. It was dark in there, and Zedaph could just about make out a mildy messy room, and a very - very - buff, but otherwise fairly normal looking man lying on the bed, fast asleep. His face was turned away from them. A strong sense of calmness washed over Zed, while Tango seemed to get a bit antsy. 

"Dangit can't see anything, its so dark..." Tango grumbled, rubbing his eyes. He fiddled with his hands. Now that he was here, what would he even say?

Zedaph was in awe at the sheer presence of the man before him, even if sick and asleep. "Uhm, hello, Mr. Dadslayer Sir..." He piped up, a bit sheepish. "We don't mean to disturb you, we just wanted to say hi." As expected, the Slayer did not answer. 

Tango was growing nervous, so he pulled Zedaph back out of the room and watched as VEGA closed the door again. "Oh, wow." He just brought out. Then he noticed Impulse, who was leaning against a railing as far away from the door as possible without losing sight of them. He had his arms crossed and his dark eyes were flicking left and right. "What's up with you, Impy? Got scared?" Tango wasn't gonna lie - he had been a little intimidated himself by the air that loomed in the room the Slayer was in. 

Impulse frowned at them. "I just think we shouldn't stick our noses too far into the privacy of... other people."

Tango stared at him for a second with his head slightly tilted, then shrugged. "Weirdo."

Zedaph considered the now closed door for a few more moments, then watched Impulse, who took a deep breath, pressed his hair flat against his head once, and then clapped in his hands once in an obvious attempt to get to other thoughts. 

"Alright! Who wants to place bets on what's behind the next door! I'm calling bathroom." Impulse suggested, walking away from the Slayer's bedroom towards a little staircase branching off from the hallway. 

"Oh! Oh! I'm saying a full on spa, with swimming pool, and sauna, and a super fancy shower!" The other two stared at Zedaph like he grew a second head, just less exciting. 

"A spa?" Impulse shook his head, amused. "No way. You're on!"

"I'm calling another bedroom." Tango said. 

"Boo, boring!"

"At least it's reasonable, Zed! A _spa_." Tango shook his head as well, while approaching the next door. They had taken a few steps up and were now faced with a hallway, with three doors branching off - Tango had walked up to the far left one. 

"Alright, here we go!"

To everyones massive disappointment, the room was just used for storage. Shelves full of cardboard boxes and various knickknacks lined the walls. It was by far the least exciting room they had seen on the ship up until now. 

Their disappointment did not last for long as they continued walking through the fortress, sticking their noses into every single door they found. VEGA explained that the next room over held the core processor for himself - another fancy sci-fi looking apparatus, with blue energy beams left and right. Cabinets were holding a lot of data storage with VEGA backups that had gathered up over the years. Apparently VEGA scheduled a backup for himself every 24 hours. The next room over was another storage, this time for dry food conserves. Then, they finally found the bathroom Impulse had prophesied. They took another small staircase. 

The next two rooms were interesting, as they had signs with 'Xisuma' and 'EX' written on them respectively. They were across the hallway from each other. Team ZIT shared a few excited glances, then Zedaph jumped up to EX's door while Tango and Impulse tried to get into Xisumas room. Only the latter opened automatically. 

"Ohh!!" Tango practically fell over Impulse as they poured into their admins private bedroom. 

"Hey, what gives?" Zedaph pouted after nearly running into the closed door, looking up to the ceiling as if he could find VEGA there and hold him responsible. 

"You cannot access EX's room, it's off limits. For... privacy reasons." VEGA explained, hesitating slightly. 

Zedaph was a little conflicted. On one hand, he wasn't one to just snoop into peoples private stuff (unless they were Tango and Impulse, of course). On the other hand, that only made him more curious to see the inside. He held his ear towards the door to see if he could hear anything suspicious - and he did, in fact hear music playing in the room, and not too quietly. It was sounding an awful lot like some type of heavy nightcore/dubstep song. Eventually, he shrugged, and joined Tango and Impulse in Xisumas room.

They spent some time picking apart Xisuma's room, but besides some self-composed music and notebooks full of scribbles they didn't find any new information on their admin. As expected, he owned at least five guitars and a little bit of exercise equipment. Looked like he had picked up quite a bit from his dad. However, his room was very neat and tidy, so maybe he picked up something from VEGA as well. 

When they found nothing else of interest in Xisumas room, the three hermits continued their way through the Fortress. They walked back on themselves and took a staircase to the left, leading them down another floor. At the end of the next hallway, the path branched off into a gym or some sort or training area with a lot of heavy equipment that they didn't even begin to understand, and, on the other side, they actually found a spa including swimming pool and sauna. Zedaph was overjoyed to be right. 

They walked back and crossed over a walkway suspended in the air, and in the large room below they could see a greenhouse-like area, with many strange and alien plants neither of them had seen before. Getting really excited, they rushed to the elevator ahead of them, missing a small pillow fort that X and EX had built as kids, and rode the elevator downstairs to wander into the greenhouse. It was magnificent. The tall ceiling made a lasting impression on them, especially paired with the exotic greenery. Zedaph swore he saw a bunny or two in the bushes, but he wasn't quite sure. On the far end of the greenhouse, there was a small balcony, dropping off into space. VEGA advised them not to get too close, but they spent a good 15 minutes just staring and watching the stars. Miracoulously, none of them tried to climb onto the railing for once.

Eventually, they made their way back into the middle part of the floor, laughing and joking. Passing by the elevator, they went from the greenhouse into the last part of the castle they hadn't seen yet. 

It was the very bottom of the large room with the mecha in it they had seen earlier. They were on a small stone path, and some more greenery lined the path up to another elevator of sorts. A screen was attached to the wall in front of it, reading 'Ripatorium'. Whatever the Ripatorium was, it was currently locked. 

"VEGA, what is this?" Tango asked, approaching the screen. 

"This is the demon prison of the ship. It is the only place on the Castle where demons are able to spawn in and enter. I would advise you against going in there."

Team ZIT collectively shared a look, nodded, and then pooled around the screen. 

"Why do you have a demon prison?" Impulse asked, tentatively. Swiping through the files on the screen, they saw images and data entries to several kinds of demons. They looked gruesome, nothing like Impulses home and family. 

"Can we see them? Please!" Tango requested, getting excited. He really wanted to see how the demons in this universe were, and Zedaph and Impulse shared the sentiment. 

"The demon species in there are very aggressive, and I do not know how they will react to the presence of you three. I cannot guarantee your safety if you go in there."

"Oh, we're gonna be real careful!" Zedaph pleaded. "We just wanna stick our heads in, and take a looksie, and then be out again! It's gonna be fine!"

Impulse was already eyeing the door opening mechanisms again. "We will just break down the door again anyways, VEGA."

Vega gave in. "...Very well, if you wish to do so. I will open the way to the Ripatorium." The door to the elevator opened. Tango, Zedaph and Impulse wandered over and stood on the circular pad in the middle, and the platform started descending downwards while the three of them wiggled in excitement. 

They crossed through a short hallway and arrived on top of a ledge, looking over a large room. It was filled with stone ruins, grass and other plants. Rusted chains were hanging from the ceiling, and the light was dim. It was a very moody place. Tango quite enjoyed it, it gave him dungeon-y feels. 

Just a few seconds after first peeking over the ledge, the hermits heard a whooshy sound, followed by something that sounded like a dull explosion, and, in a flash of red light, a demon appeared on the ground a few meters below them. Followed by another. And another. Zedaph gulped as their mean little eyes latched onto him, and he instinctively tried to hide behind Impulse despite being slightly taller than him. The first three demons were all creatures of the same wiry, hunched over species, fire licking at their clawed hands, with sharp teeth and mostly humanoid bodies. Tango recognized them as 'Imps' from the files they had skimmed through just a minute ago. 

More demons spawned in. Two very large ones, with dark bodies and white-ish heads, and bestowed with more muscles than the three of them had together. There was a very tall lanky demon, and it looked like it had been tampered with - cybernetics sticking out of it's body, forming a jetpack and missile launchers on its shoulders. Several human-looking demons, but with glowing eyes and very unhealthy looking - they were carrying energy shields. The floor was crawling with slow, zombie-like creatures, groaning and shuffling. More of the first kind of demon spawned in. Zedaph could even see two flying demons at the far back of the room, with bat-like wings, screeching.

Suddenly, Team ZIT felt very small as a lot of demon eyes were directed onto them. Zedaph especially felt dread cursing through his veins, and his head was suddenly blanking out. He fought against his instinct to _flee_ for just a few seconds, but lost the battle quickly. Scattering, his hooves on the stone floor startled Impulse and Tango, and he scrambled back to the elevator shaft, pressing up against the far back wall. His heart-rate was rocketing up rapidly. 

The sudden movement caused an ungodly screeching from several demons - and then they lunged. 


	8. Tango, Impulse and Zedaph get even deeper into trouble at the Fortress of Doom, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: violence? blood
> 
> this comes with art for the beginning of the chapter! https://ambered-glazed-sheep.tumblr.com/post/627497528692277248/the-newest-chapter-also-comes-with-art

"AAAH?!" Tango screamed as one of the first demons that had spawned - an Imp - suddenly clambered up onto their ledge. It hissed at him. Instinctively, Impulse stepped in front of him, extending his hand to hold Tango back and protect him. 

"Please return to the elevator immediately. I did not predict this kind of-" The rest of VEGA's sentence was drowned out in loud howling and sounds of fireballs hitting the wall of the ledge below the hermits. 

Two more Imps with fire on their hands jumped up onto the ledge, and one of the flying ones landed in front of the hermits heavily. This was when Tango grabbed Impulses arm and turned around, dragging Impulse along as he got away from the demons as quickly as possible. They holed up with Zedaph in the elevator, and were momentarily relieved as VEGA closed the door - until they heard a fireball burst against it from the other side, and they saw the metal heating up. 

They crammed themselves into the far corner of the elevator pad, but just before it rose up, they saw a demon busting through the heavy door with a terrible crash. It seemed momentarily dazed, then set it's eyes onto Zedaph and started to give chase.

"Oh god, oh man, what do we do _what do we do_ -" Tango panicked as the elevator rose upwards. Zedaph was positively frozen in horror at the clashing and banging noises following them up the elevator shaft, and they could occasionally see licks of fire outside of the glass parts of the elevator. Impulse had taken a hold of Zedaph with one arm around his shoulder in a tight half-hug to comfort him. Zedaph all but buried his head in Impulses chest, clinging on to his shirt. Impulse could feel him trembling. Stressed as he was, his own demonic features started to show again, even though he did his best to suppress it as to not scare Tango and Zedaph even more. 

"Ok, listen to me Tango, Zedaph, let's ju-" Impulse was interrupted by an unholy screeching from below, and the loudest bang yet. The elevator shook slightly. Thankfully, it had arrived at its destination, and Team ZIT fell all over each other when the doors finally opened back up at the room they had been in before. Not a second too late - the elevator shaft burst into flames as metal debris was catapulted outwards, the explosion heating up their faces and singing their clothes. Rubble rained down on them, but they ignored it in favor of helping each other up from the floor and legging it. 

Tango dared a glace back, and could see the remains of the elevator door attempting to close - but the broken material had no chance against the demons crawling out of the hole. One of the first demons that they had seen was locked onto them, looking enraged. 

"My attempts at locking the demons into the Ripatorium have failed. Please proceed further into the castle, I will lock all doors behind you to keep you safe." VEGA informed them, his robotic voice way too calm for Tangos taste considering the situation. 

"That doesn't sound very reassuring!" Zedaph squealed out, voice high-pitched. 

"Yeah the doors ain't stopping them." Tango agreed, ushering Impulse and Zedaph along the stone path towards the large elevator in the center of the Fortress. The hair in his neck bristled just before he heard the blood-curdling hiss behind him, and he instinctively dropped himself to the floor. He felt air rushing above him, and with a yell and a crunchy sounding _thud_ something connected to the demon above him. The red-eyed man scrambled away, clinging to Zed as he closed up to him. Impulse had intercepted the demon. They were wrestling, each grabbing the others arms, Impulses horns protruding from his head more and more as he put in more effort to keep the demon away from his friends. 

With a loud yell, he used the demon's own weight against it, hauling it over his shoulder and throwing it off of the stone path. Two more Imps immediately followed behind, plus one of the flying ones that had hoisted itself into the air of the tall room. Impulse backed up as fast as he could, breathing heavily. They had finally reached the next elevator, and wasted no time getting in here. 

"VEGA, close the doors!" A shout from Impulse, but it was too late - just as the doors were sliding shut, two demons lunged at them, managing to get into the elevator. One of them was the flying type, getting it's wing stuck and screeching at an ungodly volume. Zedaph cowered and put his hands over his ears. The demon had blades for hands, was very boney looking, and was spewing some sort of green goop, which sizzled and bubbled as it dropped onto the floor, so Tango decided to stay as far away from it as possible - not that he needed much convincing. 

The other demon, another Imp, however, was loose in the elevator as the cell slowly started moving upwards. It had a shrill wail, and scattered all over the walls, trying to swipe at Zedaph. Impulse physically tackled it down and pinned it to the wall of the elevator, doing his best to restrain it as far away from the other two hermits as possible. 

Tango was shocked. "Impulse!" He saw more demons climbing up the walls of the large room with the mecha in it, some even on the glass on the outside of the elevator shaft.

Impulse grunted and slammed the demon against the elevator wall again, his arm pinning down its neck as tight as possible. The demon was writhing and screaming, and Impulse could feel the heat as flames gathered and dispersed in its hands. He doubled his effort, forcing the demon away from Zedaph and closer to the flying one that was still stuck in the door. There was not much room to operate - the elevator wasn't exactly big, and he could feel Tango's panicked breathing right in his neck. 

"VEGA, what are you doing! Make the elevator go faster! Open the doors! Do - something, I don't know!" Tango started pleading. His spine was tingling with fear as he looked at the twisted bodies of the two demons in the small space with them - three, if you counted Impulse. The skin on his arms had hardened, and Tango could almost see his fingers growing to bigger and bigger claws as the pinned Imp was becoming more and more difficult to restrain. 

VEGA answered, barely audible over the screeching in the room. "Unfortunately i cannot increase the speed of the elevator over maxiumum capability. I can only open the doors at the designated floor levels, please hold on a few seconds longer."

"WHAT?!" Tango screamed, barely able to focus on a single word - mostly because he was busy evading green goop from one of the demons, and making sure Zedaph wasn't getting hit either. More out of habit, he tried to access his inventory, coming up with the weird weapon wheel instead. Not making a big fuss out of it, he just equipped his diamond sword, a little guilty that he hadn't thought of that earlier. 

"I said tha-" Once more, VEGA was interrupted. 

"AAUGHhNNnh!" Impulse cried out as a sharp metal blade pierced though his thigh. He faltered, getting knocked in the jaw by the demon he was still wrestling, but regained his composure and steeled his grip again. The flying demon that was still stuck in the door had managed to twist its body and reach him, impaling his leg with one of the long arm blades that were grafted onto it. Not satisfied with the result yet, it screeched, pulling out the blade to strike again. 

The second rush of pain made Impulse lose his grip on the Imp this time. He staggered, gripping his leg with gritted teeth, as he was riding through the pain. Impulse let out a whine. He was getting knocked aside as the Imp demon he had been restraining was set loose in the elevator. 

"IMPY!" Tango barely had time to react to block the demon's claws with his sword as it went for him now. Impulse had sunken to the floor. The flying demon was about to get him again, when Zed suddenly sprung into action, using Tango as a jumping board. 

"No one injures my friends!" With that, he full on headbutted the demon that had its wing stuck on the door. It went down with a sickening 'crack', some of the green goo droplets falling onto Zed's shirt. It was out cold - seemed like Zed horns had been harder than its skull allowed. "Take that, you vile beast! Don't go bothering my friends again, ya hear me! Stupid goo demon. Impulse, are you o-"

"Zed, a little help?!" He heard Tango cry out, who was weighed down onto the floor with the remaining demon on top of him, only his sword stopping it from tearing his head of. The blade was cracking worryingly. Just in that moment, the elevator doors opened, with a small _ding_. Zed used the opportunity. 

"Hey! Fire-for-hands!" He yelled, kicking the demon in it's back. It didn't do much, but got it's attention - the demon perked up. Immediately, it was met with Zed's horns as well. He had thrown his whole weight into the headbutt, and the demon staggered backwards. It wasn't quite enough to knock it out like it did for the other demon, but enough to drive it backwards out of the open elevator doors. 

"That's what you get!" Zedaph yelled. He was still trembling - to be frank, he was horrified. However, the sight of Impulse still shaking and clutching his leg on the floor overrode his fear.

VEGA quickly closed the doors again, the elevator with Team ZIT (and the unconscious demon) in it carrying on upwards. 

Zedaph let out a long, shaky breath, letting himself drop to the floor. The soft humming of the elevator was accompanied by unsettling noises - Impulse was drawing in sharp breaths through gritted teeth, one hand still wrapped around his leg and the other feeling around in an attempt to find a wall to prop himself up on. Zedaph could hear his own heartbeat as well, painfully loud in his ears. Demons were screeching outdoors, clambering up the elevator shaft and the walls of the big room. _Better not go out in that direction then_ , Zed thought to himself as he fearfully watched the demons through the glass. 

"Impulse?" Tango asked, offering his hand to his friend. He had kneeled down next to him, storing away his diamond sword back into the weapon wheel. Impulse tried to reach for his hand, but due to the way his eyes were squeezed shut from pain he missed, hand landing back on the metal floor. "Hey man, are you-... guess you're not ok but-... uh... How do you feel?" Tango tried again. He took Impulses hand himself, starting to pull the other up to see if he would play into it. Impulse tried to, but faltered and stumbled as soon as the slightest bit of weight was put on his injured leg. He looked pale. 

Tango expertly caught him, even if Impulse was a little heavier and taller than expected. "Whoah there. Easy, big fella." Impulse leaned heavily on him and gathered himself for a second, then used Tangos shoulder to prop himself back up into a standing position. He was going through various grimaced, and visibly paled even more as he was upright again. "Whew... alright, I'm... I'm good. I'm good. Cool." Blood was dripping to the floor. "Well that was sure something, huh."

The three of them shared a look. 

Then, they all started speaking at the same time. 

"Impulse, you absolutely saved mine and Ze-"

"Oh my word, Impulse, how is your-"

"Zed you did-"

They all stopped again, each wanting to let the other speak first. When no one said anything, they all let out a nervous laugh. Impulse stopped himself from laughing when he started feeling dizzy and winced, gripping his leg again. Blood had gotten all over his hands and pants, and was still seeping out of the wound. Zedaph looked at him nervously. He was rubbing a sore spot on his own forehead, as headbutting the demons had left a mark on him as well.

A soft ding startled them, even more so as the elevator doors opened once more. 

"Please make your way up to the command deck on Floor 5 of the Fortress, as it is best protected against attacks. You are currently on Floor 3, as is-"

A crash and screech sent them all scrambling out the door. One of the demons had smashed into the glass shaft of the elevator - not shattering the glass, but the demon was clawing at the outside and trying to get through. Tango pulled out his sword again, taking one last look at the still unconscious flying demon before stepping over it to get out of the elevator cell. Zedaph, steadying Impulse with one of his arms slung around his shoulders, followed, carefully.

They were at the top quarter of the big room with the mecha, trying to make as little sounds as possible as to not draw attention to them from the various demons they could see around the walls and floor. The large spiraling staircase seemed to be their way up. Impulse was limping behind, leaning heavier on Zedaphs shoulder at every step. 

"Ugh, can we-... can we take a break, guys? I'm-..." Impulse whispered, not finishing his sentence as he stopped, doubling over in pain. 

"Come on man!" Zed hissed back, his eyes nervously darting around the room as to see if any demons had spotted them. They stayed as close to the wall as possible, hiding in the shadows. 

Tango went a few steps ahead, peeking around the corner with his sword. And, more importantly, his eyes. He looked back at his friends, the redstone mechanisms in his face glowing in the dark. "There's a small room here. VEGA?"

"That room is currently unused. I will open the door for you, but I cannot stress enough that you should move up to the command deck."

The door opened, and the three of them hurried in. It was a small, half-circular room, with nothing in it except two cardboard boxes. Behind them, VEGA closed the door again. 

"You should be safe from demon attacks as long as the door is closed."

"Thank you, VEGA." Zedaph remembered to say as he gently set down Impulse on the floor, resting his back against the wall. Impulse let out a held breath, leaning his head back and closing his eyes for a bit. "Impulse, how are you doing?" Zed asked him, kneeling down next to him. He had an eye on the blood that was dripping from Impulses leg, quickly starting to pool up on the dusty metal floor. Worry crinkled his forehead. 

"Could be better." Impulse managed to get out with some effort. He still had his eyes closed, breathing and trying to get his emotions under control. His horns slowly started getting smaller again, and his skin returned to vaguely normal color and texture. He opened his eyes again. "I feel... I feel all shaky and weird."

"Adrenaline?" Tango suggested, kneeling down at Impulses other side to look at his injured leg. "Lemme have a look at that, okay Impy?" Impulse didn't manage a reply and just nodded weakly. Tango started making a make-shift bandage around the nasty stab wound on Impulses thigh. It was still pouring blood, which seemed oddly dark. Tango really hoped the demons had no poison on their weird disgusting arm blades - and that Impulse has had his Tetanus shot. Cutting off Impulses ruined pants leg and a big part of his own sleeve, he then crafted them into a crude bandage and tied it tightly around the leg. It wasn't great, and it immediately started getting soaked in blood, but it was keeping most of it inside the leg where it belonged. At least more than no bandage had done. 

"That should be better than nothing." Tango mentioned with a frown, wiping his now bloody hands on Impulses shirt. 

"Oi." He got as a mild warning, but there was no malice behind it. "Thanks, Tango. You as well, Zed." Impulse turned his head to his sheep-like companion. "Really saved my skin back there in the elevator."

Zedaph had calmed down a little bit since they were now in an enclosed , relatively safe space, the demon screeches outdoors somewhat muffled out. "Ahh, don't mention it. I was just seeing that ugly kni-"

He interrupted himself when suddenly, the previously dimly lit room went dark, accompanied by a crackle and a powering down sound. 

"Uhhh," Tango made, back suddenly straightened upright. "Hello?"

The door to their small hidey room slid open, seeming unnecessarily loud. Their stomachs dropped simultaneously as the realization settled in. 

"A-... Anyone else got a bad feeling?" Zedaph whispered, staring at the opened door. He slowly backed away, until he bumped into Tango and grabbed onto him. Dread was looming over them, and they were painfully aware of the demons still shuffling around outside. 

"VEGA, what gives? The door?" Impulse hissed, struggling to get himself propped up so he could step in between the door and his friends to protect him. 

The rooms outside had gone dark as well, only the stars in the night sky shimmering through the windows. Occasionally the darkness was broken by the glowing eyes of a demon scittering about, and the tiny dim emergency red lights that were glowing over the top of each door. The low hum of the castle that had eminated from behind the walls was almost completely gone. The only light source in the small room with them were Tango's eyes. Impulse could swear they weren't as bright as they had been this morning. 

However, the door stayed open. 

Tango was growing nervous as well. 

"VEGA?"

There was no answer. 

" _VEGA?_ "

They waited for a few moments longer, holding their breath as they listened for the door closing again, or VEGA replying, or lights flickering back on, or _anything_. 

After a full minute, they slowly stared at each other.

"Uh oh."


	9. X and EX have an ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDINGLY AMAZING time on Mars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: graphic descriptions of violence, canon-typical violence. canon-typical for doom.

"EX, watch out!"

EX cried out in pain as sharp teeth sank themselves into his arm, boring through his armor and bending it inwards. He felt his arm being yanked at, and sure enough, the pain increased tenfold as he was lifted off the ground by a very malnourished looking Cacodemon. The Shotgun clattered to the floor almost unheard. Screaming, EX kicked out, his whole weight suspended on his shoulder joint as his elbow was stuck in the demons mouth. His hand uselessly tried to hold on to anything. It was hot, as well. Electric charges from the demon's mouth were burning his sleeve, sizzling on his skin. He could only close his eyes shut in pain and prayed his arm wouldn't be torn off entirely. 

" _V_!"

Xisuma was frozen in shock as he saw his brother getting lifted off the ground, dangling in between the demons teeth. He didn't have long to stare, however, as he was immediately swamped by two zombies from the left and a fireball-throwing Imp somewhere off to his right. Adrenaline kicked into gear. _Where had they come from so quickly?_ He guessed they had been attracted by the loud noises they had been making. Cursing silently, he raised his fathers plasma rifle. Firing roughly in the direction of the Imp while he retreated from the Possessed, he tried to get some distance. He had to get to Evil X as soon as possible, before the demon could carry him off to makyr knows where, or decided to chew on his arm more than it already had. 

The Zombies were quickly peppered with plasma balls, slumping together on the floor. Keeping an eye on the Imp, Xisuma ran a wide arc around the edges of the large room, getting closer to the Cacodemon. He couldn't shoot at it like this, with EX directly in line of fire. It was hovering off the floor in the far section of the room, seemingly having trouble keeping it's balance with the added weight of EX in its mouth. Evil Xisuma himself was trying to wriggle free, tearing at one of the huge teeth with his free hand, although each movement only made him cry out in pain more. 

Xisuma saw the hulking figure of a Hellknight appear in the doorframe behind EX, and made a sharp turn to sprint towards the Cacodemon. He had to get EX out of there before dealing with the Hellknight, that much was sure. Another fireball from the Imp rocketed towards him, but Xisuma had no choice but to take the hit if he didn't want to lose his momentum. It hit him square on his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs before dispersing at his chest plate. Licks of fire snaked their way all over his body, but he grit his teeth and took the leap towards the Cacodemon. EX cried out once more as the impact of Xisuma landing on the demon moved its teeth further into his flesh, but Xisuma just grabbed the demon right next to its eyesocket and jammed his plasma rifle into the eye, pulling the trigger as soon as he connected. 

The demon screeched loudly and started to try and shake off Xisuma, blinded as it was. EX dropped down to the floor, landing in a painful heap. Xisuma managed to hold on to this involuntarily rodeo, pumping a few more plasma bullets into the demon for good measure. Just before it hit the closest wall, he jumped off, landing on his knee on the metal floor below. 

His brother still hadn't moved. "V? V, get up!"

Xisuma took a few steps towards his brother, before a sudden weight on his back made him stumble and pinned him to the floor. Loud snarling right in his ears told him this was the Imp he had almost forgotten about. "Agh!", he let out, dropping his rifle to keep the demon's claws away from his throat. While he was wrestling for his dear life, he was still worried about his brother, but from his position on the floor he couldn't quite see him anymore. 

EX, in the meanwhile, was just trying to control his breathing. Tears were flowing from his eyes, because his shoulder and his arm hurt. It burned. It stung. It sent rippling waves of pain through him. His arm felt numb, and he wondered if the demon had some sort of poison in its teeth. The bent edges of his shoulder armor cut into his flesh, hurting at every little movement. Not to mention the bruises that were forming all over his body, even if it had only been a short drop from where the demon had been trying to carry him off. 

With a grunt, he propped himself up on his non-injured arm. He heard screeching, and looking around the room, he saw Xisuma pinned to the floor by an Imp, trying his best to keep him at bay. EX was already struggling up to go and help him, when a low growl behind him made his blood freeze. Whimpering as he heard heavy steps sprinting towards him, he barely had time to look around before feeling a death grip on his neck, and looking into the very ugly face of a Hellknight. EX gagged for breath. Panicking, he raised his hands to the claws of the hellknight, but was unable to pry them off by even a millimeter. However, the grip didn't hold for long, because in the next second he was flung through the air at high velocity. His flight was halted by a very solid, very painful metal wall. 

Xisuma finally got the upper hand on the Imp as it looked up to find the source of a loud clanging sound, and managed to rip it off of himself with a kick to its stomach. It snarled at him, getting ready to lunge again. He didn't have the nerve or time to search for his plasma rifle, so he simply pulled out the chainsaw and made short work of the Imp. It's body prove to be of medium resistance to the grip of the chainsaw teeth, but he felt a certain sense of satisfaction as it shredded through bone and muscle of it's torso. It certainly looked a lot smoother when his dad did it. Blood splattered on him. 

Breathing heavily, X looked around, only to be met with the sight of the Hellknight slowly stalking towards a armor-covered bundle on the ground. A red smear was trailing down the wall above it. 

"NO!" He screamed out, quickly grabbing his chainsaw. He revved it up again and tried to make himself known to distract the demon. "Oi, ya ugly lump! Why don't you come over and try on someone your size!" This was a blatant lie, as the demon was hulking over X quite considerably. However, it did the trick. The Hellknight whirled around, it's tiny eyes trained onto Xisuma. 

_What now?_ Xisuma felt a rush of adrenaline as the demon started charging towards him. He pushed one of his legs back for a more secure stance and raised his chainsaw. It was roaring and vibrating in his hands, almost excitedly. Anger was crawling through his veins as he spared a glance to his brother, who was moving sluggishly. _At least he is awake?_ X growled lowly as the Hellknight approached, allowing his rage to take over and guide him. He took a step forwards, pulling back with the chainsaw only to thrust it right at the demon as it lunged towards him with stretched out claws. The sawblade tore right into its chest, vibrating and howling. He heard bones crunching and flesh squelching. Xisuma had a hard time holding the weapon steady as it wreaked havoc inside the demon's ribcage. A pained howling and screeching escaped the Hellknights throat, until it was cut short by Xisuma pulling back the chainsaw only to jam it right into its pale face. The demon dropped to the floor. Blood and demon bits were spread all over the ground, and on Xisuma's armor, but he just shook off his chainsaw before storing it back in his inventory. It seemed like the fuel tank was emptied out now. 

He quickly scanned the room for any more sneaky demons - there were none - before picking up his rifle and sprinting over to the wall EX had been thrown against.

"V?", Xisuma gently asked him as he knelt down next to his brother, anger being replaced with worry now. Ex was struggling to prop himself up, so Xisuma wrapped an arm around his shoulder and helped him sit up. Demon blood ran down his armor. He couldn't see past the darkened visor of his brothers helmet, but his head was moving from side to side slowly as he tried to regain his bearings.

" **Ugh... X...?** " He groaned. 

"Are you alright?"

EX swayed for a second, bringing his hand up to his helmet. His words were a mumbled mess, and X could barely understand him. " **Hrg.... m... my head...** " 

Xisuma wasted no time. He dropped his rifle again, using both hands to tug off EX's helmet. His long hair came loose, and Xisuma saw it was stained red. Blood from a wound on his forehead trickled down into his eye, and EX sluggishly wiped over it with his arm. Another growl rose in Xisuma's throat at the thought of a demon throwing his brother against a wall so hard that he got injured despite his helmet. EX still seemed groggy. 

"EX, can you see me?"

"Mh.... yeah..."

"Do you know where we are?"

EX took a moment to process the question. "On... on that facility on Mars..."

"Can you tell me what day it is?"

"You... you know I don't got a sense of time, X."

Xisuma snorted. With a much lighter heart, he sat down completely. EX seemed to have taken quite a hit, but he figured he would probably be fine. X internally cursed himself for not looking out better. He had to remember there was no respawn in this world, or things could go very wrong very quickly. Promising himself to be more careful and watch out more, he gently rubbed his brothers back. His eyebrows were drawn into a deep frown. This little field trip was really not going well. 

"I'll be... I'll be fine, 'just need a min." EX muttered, closing his eyes in exhaustion for a moment. 

X let out a sigh of relief. While EX was trying to get back to his senses, he stored his rifle back into his inventory, checking up on ammo. It was still about halfway full. He would need to keep an eye out for chainsaw fuel, though. _I wonder if I can contact VEGA again?_ He fiddled with a little button on his helmet, attempting to get a connection back to the fortress of doom. "VEGA?" He asked, hesitantly. No reply. Only soft static noises were heard in his comms. Xisuma sighed again, turning off the system again. Seemed like the Mars storm was still interfering, despite the fact it had mellowed out a little. He just hoped VEGA would be able to get back to them eventually, or they would have a hard time getting off Mars again. 

"How far away are we?" EX asked, voice still a bit shaky. He didn't look at his brother. He couldn't shake the sense of guilt that was washing over him every time he did so. _I really should tell him..._

"The research section is a few hallways down, we should be there soon." Xisuma pointed to the door behind them, where the Hellknight had appeared from. "Let's just hope we don't get more company 'til then." 

Without VEGA, they had no way of scanning the building for demons, so they'd have to be extra careful. Evil Xisuma seemed to have gathered his senses again, as he was gingerly shuffling around and propping himself up to stand again. X jumped to his feet and then pulled EX up, which he only nodded to. He looked a little more focused again. 

"You good?" Xisuma asked him anyways.

"I'll manage." EX answered shortly. Wincing, he unclipped his shoulder pad, since it was torn apart anyways. It clattered to the floor, revealing several bleeding puncture wounds. At least the sharp edges wouldn't cut into him any more. He picked up his helmet, but decided against putting it on since his head was still ringing. The air on the abandoned Mars facility was fine for him to breathe anyways - since it seemed fine for the other demons on here as well. In his mind, he was just silently thankful they hadn't come across and demons of the Gargoyle variety. He didn't think he could stand fighting against them with... Shaking off the thoughts, he wiped over the wound on his forehead again. The blood flow seemed to have stopped by now, he was just left with a dull headache. Sighing, he locked eyes with X. Xisuma nodded, and the two brothers started to make their way out of the room.

* * *

Xisuma led the way, looking from left to right and peeking around every corner, keeping his plasma rifle at the ready. EX had taken out the Slayers combat shotgun, not feeling quite up to carrying the heavy Ballista again. It was quiet. They only heard distant clanking sounds somewhere, and occasional hissing from broken vents, some crackles of electricity running low, the howling wind outside of the Mars base. Both of them felt the eerie atmosphere getting to them, growing anxious at every turn, stopping to listen for anything suspicious every so often. 

They finally reached the research wing of the facility. Rooms branching off from the hallways were labelled as offices or experiment chambers, and Xisuma kept his eyes out for the name of Olivia Pierce. He glanced into each of the rooms with open doors. Most of the rooms were vastly destroyed. Everything was covered in a thick coat of rust, dust and guts from various decaying humans and zombies. Furniture was mostly knocked over or broken into pieces. With his stomach twisting, X decided not to look at the broken glass containers and tubes and their contents for too long. He knew he wouldn't like it. 

It was eerily quiet now, and it made Xisuma anxious. Even the distant footsteps and shuffling of demons had stilled down, and he could only hear his and EX's own boots reverberating through the empty hallways. They were coming up to a large T-section, and Xisuma just hoped they would soon find the office so they could get their data, let EX rest for a bit, and then get out of there as quickly as possible. Of course that also depended on them being able to contact VEGA again. X sighed and raised his rifle as he approached the section. He idly wondered if Tango and Impulse were fine on Doom Fortress or if they had broken into his guitar collection or something like that. 

With his thoughts distracted for just a few seconds, he quite literally jumped into the air as he heard a curdling roar behind them. 

Booming footsteps followed, and Xisuma wasted no time to throw himself into one of the branching hallways, out of the way of whatever was approaching at a incredibly fast pace. However, EX, who had followed a few meters behind him, had not been so lucky. He screamed out as he was scooped up by the demon, a lumpy pink bull-like thing, and the demon kept it's momentum as it rushed past Xisuma. EX struggled to free himself from the demon, but between his chewed on arm still in pain and the sheer force of the demons heavy body in motion, there was not much he could do. EX was slammed into the wall of the T-section at full speed, immediately being crushed by the demon slamming into the wall after him, unable to stop. The Pinkie was dazed and stumbled backwards, shaking it's ugly head. EX on the other hand slowly slid down the wall, crumpling together on the floor, unmoving. 

"V?" Xisuma stared at his brother.

However, this time EX didn't get back up.

"V? V, get up?" Xisuma whispered while getting back to his feet. His eyes nervously flicked between his brother and the demon. "Come on, EX." EX didn't move. 

The Pinkie roared again, getting it's bearings back and setting its mean little eyes onto Xisuma now. He took a few steps back, making sure to lead it away from EX. The demon lowered its head, getting ready to charge, and X himself just glared at it, eyes aflame. He was full of dread and fear for his brother, and anger settled in his stomach again at the sight of the demon. Xisuma took another step back, anticipating, his body tense and wound up like a spring. Finally, the demon charged. 

It took it only a few fast steps to get up to speed and reach Xisuma, and he threw himself out of the way once more, his body crashing into the wall to the side. Despite his hurting ribs, he twisted around and started shooting at the demon's vulnerable backside. It screeched in pain, skidding to a halt and starting the painstakingly slow process of turning around. Instead of continuing to fire at it, Xisuma forced himself to stop, however angry he was at it. Instead, he put away his weapon and dropped to his knees next to his brother. 

"V?" He asked once more, not getting an answer. He quickly turned EX around to look at his face. He was knocked unconscious, and blood from the back of his head stained Xisumas gloves more than they had been so before. The admin heard the demon growl and stomp around behind him, and wasted no time grabbing the back of EX's armor with one hand and his helmet with the other, dragging his brother. Straining, he hurried along the other hallway, away from the Pinkie. I was already glaring at him again, ready to charge once more. Xisuma quickly turned and dragged Evil X through the next open door. 

Dropping him, he grabbed hold of both sides of the metal door, flexing his muscles to slide them shut with a disgusting grating noise. He heard the demon gallop past, confused screeching included. For good measure, X tipped over a heavy metal rack, making it block the door. Mostly satisfied with his work, he scanned over the room for any threats, then heaved EX over to the desk at the side of the room, leaning his back against it. Only then he let himself drop to the floor next to him, breathing heavily.

"Oi, EX?" 

Evil X didn't move, not even as Xisuma carefully grabbed his face and moved it from left to right. The wound on his forehead from before had burst open again, trickling blood over his sickly pale face. X checked and found a new, even bigger laceration at the back of his head. It was almost hidden under his long hair, were it not for the telling red that spread outwards. His fingers cold with fear, Xisuma was still for a second, until he was sure he could still see Evil Xisumas chest rise and fall. His breathing was shallow, but it was there, and X let out a relieved breath himself. 

He really needed to be more careful. After all, there was no respawn in this universe.

EX showed no signs of waking up any time soon, but Xisuma couldn't just let him be. He rummaged through the pockets on his hips, finding a very sparse first aid kit. It had to do. He carefully applied a bandage to his brothers head, wrapping it so it would cover both the small wound on his forehead and the one on the back, which was still spilling blood. It would have been better to have staples or clamps to close the wound somewhat, but this had to do. Xisuma hoped they would come across an unused health pack at some point, but he didn't want to set his expectations too high. 

When he was done, he leaned back, exhausted, and took a minute to look around the room. He still heard the Pinkie demon slamming against walls and huffing and sniffing around outside the door, so he figured it was best to stay in here for a while. 

It was one of the office rooms. And a fairly large one, at that. It was circular, with desks on the walls, welded to the floor. EX was leaning against one of them. They were accompanied by a large, ergonomic looking chair. On the desk was a PC interface, and various papers as well as a empty coffee mug. Most notably in the room, however, was a large glass tube with some sort of dark liquid in it. It wasn't powered anymore, but Xisuma could see something lumpy and round slushing around it. He shuddered, averting his eyes from the thing. Not even wanting to think too much about it, Xisuma got up and walked around the desk. At the front was a little metal name plate - and it read 'Olivia Pierce'.

 _Huh, what are the odds?_ Xisuma thought to himself. It was weird that they had ended up in just the place where they wanted to be, but he wasn't complaining. 

He searched around until he found the power switch of the PC. Thankfully, it seemed to have it's own power source, since the holographic screens reluctantly flickered on despite the facility being abandoned for years. Following the cable, he realized the PC was powered by a small red cell attached to the wall. Argent energy. He was a little surprised the demons hadn't found it yet, but the cell was contained behind thick glass, and it only seemed to be a very small amount of energy, just enough to power the appliances in this room. 

There was a medical station on the wall next to the ominous glass container, but it was crooked and X could already tell it was depleted. Papers and cables were scattered all over the floor. He could see empty pizza boxes, a coffee machine. A whiteboard had illegible scribbles and formulas written on it, almost faded from age. 

Finally, the PC had booted up completely. X sat down in front of it, after making sure EX was still fine. He still hadn't moved. Unfortunately, the PC was password-locked. Fortunately, Xisuma had been trained by VEGA for just a situation like that, and had quite a bit of admin knowledge he could use, so he got to work. 


	10. The Slayer wakes up from a bad dream (only to find real life just as bad)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: doom-typical gore, sickness, nightmares

" _VEGA?_ " Zedaph whispered again, just to make sure. His voice cracked slightly. The dark, empty doorway opening up to the big room... the sight alone made Zed's spine run cold and his hands sweaty. He retreated all the way to the back wall again, where Impulse was still sitting on the floor, looking ghostly pale even in the dark. 

Tango let out a shaky breath as he squinted, trying to peer through the darkness in front of the room. He rubbed over his eyes, then tried again. Was everything getting a little blurry or was it just because it was so dang dark? He couldn't tell, and decided to focus on Impulse and Zedaph instead, even though he could barely see their faces one meter in front of him. Impulses eyes were unnaturally dark, almost swallowing every remaining light. Zedaph was shaking slightly, that much Tango could tell. 

"What do we do now?" Zedaph whispered, barely daring to say anything as to not make any demons alert to their presence. They could still hear the demons in the big room in front of them, but none seemed to be in their immediate vicinity. In the distance, they could hear occasional screeching and gurgling. Zedaphs mind was quick to jump to the conclusion that the demons were looking for something - but what would that be? It didn't sound like they had found anything - anyone, or the sounds would be a lot more gruesome, Zedaph guessed. He still had the screeches of the demons from their elevator fight ringing in his head. 

"VEGA?" Tango asked for the AI again, growing more and more desperate. Why wasn't he responding? He should be able to hear them. 

"If the power's out hes not gonna be able to hear you." Impulse said through gritted teeth. His hand was clamped around his leg again, his other steadying him against the nearest wall. He felt lightheaded. His eyes were constantly trained on the open door. Due to his demon heritage, he had ever so slightly better night vision than the other two, and for now, no demons were in front of the door. He caught one scattering over the wall across from them far away though. 

"Right. Okay. Okay." Tango fought against the fear that was bubbling up in his chest. "This is fine. We can do this."

"Tango, _pray tell_ , which part of this is 'fine'? Tell me _one_ positive aspect of this situation, I beg you." Zedaph sounded like he was about to lose it. Panicking, he went into ramble mode. "Impulse is hurt! We're trapped on a ship in outer space! With literal demons! And not the good kind!" He gestured over to Impulse. "The power is out! VEGA is- _mmMphhhPHn! MHhhmphmmse mhs mhhhshmm mmmr mhhhd mh mhe mmhmnhhd_!" 

He was muffled by Impulse wrapping his claws around his face gently, but tight. "Zedaph, shut up! We _know_! Be quiet, man!" He hissed. 

Zedaph struggled against the hold for a second, but then just let himself be held. It didn't stop him from trying to talk, though. " _Mhhm mhhnd mhhng mhhs ms mhhhmhmn mhhhmhy mmhm. Mhmhmm, mhr mhhnm mhhd mhhm mhhhmr mh mhhse._ "

Tango took a second to exasperatedly stare at him with a blank face despite the situation. "Zed you know that I love you, but I don't understand a single word of what you are saying."

A growl somewhere from the outside made all of them jump, and they drew back even farther into the small room, pressing against the wall. Tango looked around frantically, trying to find anything useful. His tired eyes fell onto the cardboard boxes that were stored in the room. Maybe there was something they could use in them?

With a wary look towards the door to check for demons, Tango separated himself from Impulse and Zedaph, slowly creeping over to the boxes. He carefully pried one open, more feeling around than seeing what he was doing due to the darkness of the room. He recoiled a little as his hands found something weird, but it turned out to be grimy old cables and cords. Even a multi-plug was inbetween the tangled mess. Below it, he could make out a few old comic books, a little wrinkly but carefully stacked into the box. Slightly disappointed with his haul, he repeated the process with the next box. It held some indiscernible stuff, which mostly seemed like kids craft projects from cardboard, dry pasta, ancient metal plating of the ships hull, and old fabric. Sighing, he started scrounging together stuff he thought they could use. 

"Tango, what are you doing?" Zedaph hissed at him, having freed himself from Impulses grip. He crawled up next to Tango, ducking his head down nervously. 

"Tryin' to come up with something." Tango whispered back. Zedaph simply nodded and started rummaging through the boxes himself, making himself helpful. When he had looted the first box, he attempted to push it in front of the door as a barricade, but it didn't even cover a quarter of it, not to mention the fact that cardboard boxes are generally easily flammable. He then joined Tango in his attempts to build some sort of demon defense. 

Impulse had his eyes and ears on the door. He had crawled to the front of the room to at least stand between his friends and the demons should it come to another fight - not that he would be of much use in his current state. He felt his leg throbbing. That was never a good sign. The wound was seething hot, and pain shot through him every time he moved his leg. That in itself was bad enough, but he was also starting to feel a deep nausea settle into his stomach. It was like someone punched him in the guts - the feeling was overwhelming his senses. He really hoped that it was just the shock and not some sort of... Huh? Impulse shook his head slightly, having lost his train of thought. He took out his bow in an attempt to make himself useful, but his hands were shaking. At least he had managed to get himself under control and return to his human appearance once more. 

Tango and Zedaph had just finished setting up some sort of crude demon defense. They had strung up the metal shards from what they assumed were Xisumas childhood craft projects onto the old cables, and clamped them onto wall ornaments left and right from the door - essentially blocking the entrance and acting as a very primitive barbed wire. That would mean they were now trapped in the dead end room, but their hopes were that it would stall and detain any potential intruders for long enough for them to slip past them. Once more, they holed up at the far back corner, trying to come up with a plan of action. 

"Okay, what was the last thing VEGA said to us?" Tango whispered, making himself as small as possible.

"That we're safe as long as the door is closed?" Impulse answered with a noticeable amount of sarcasm. His eyes kept flicking over to said door, now wide open and blocked with the makeshift barbed wire. 

Zedaph was jiggly, trying to get his nervousness under control. "He did mention something about the command deck."

"You think we're safe there with the power gone?" Tango tilted his head slightly, trying to make out Zeds face. He rubbed his temple in annoyance like he usually did. 

Impulse picked up on it, recognizing it as a habit of Tango. "Your eyes?" He prompted, worried. 

"Dont worry, I still have a bit of juice." Tango played it down. He knew his redstone eyes would need recharging soon, but there was not much he could do about it now, they had bigger problems. _What time is it anyways?_ His eyes usually used up power slowly over the day, and it had already been late evening when they had gotten Zed to them onto the Fortress of Doom. _It must be the middle of the night right now_ , Tango guessed. He sighed. "Can't say the same about the castle, though. The lights and doors are obviously off, but there's these emergencyficated signs outside that are still glowing, and gravity hasn't shwooped off yet."

" _Yet??_ "

"Guess there would be some kind of emergency generators." Impulse shrugged. 

Zedaph whined lowly. "Why can't they work for the doors? Isn't that pretty 'mergency important?"

Impulse turned towards him. He was blinking heavily against the leaden tiredness that started to settle into his limbs, but managed to put his hand on Zeds shoulder comfortingly. "Zed, we're gonna be fine. Let's find a way up to the command deck, and see if we can-"

**CRASH CLANK _lklnkl_**

A crashing sound following by ear-shattering metallic clanking and a confused shrill screech made them all jump. 

A demon had barged into the room, running into and tearing down the metal-studded cables they had spanned across the doorway. It was currently struggling to free itself of the tangled mess, enraged at the small cuts the metal was leaving. From the looks of it, it was another one of the Imp creatures they had fought in the elevator. It was rolling over the floor in it's attempt of tearing through the wire, coming closer to them. 

"RUN!" Impulse yelled, pulling Tango and a petrified Zedaph along as they jumped over the demon and barreled out of the door. Loud screeching to their right told them of more demons, so without further thinking about it they scrambled around the corner to the left and legged it, basically turning back to where they originally came from. Running downstairs past the elevator again, they heard the clinking of claws against metal floor and demonic grunts behind them. Impulse slipped up on the last few stair steps, his injured leg unable to carry his weight properly. He barreled down onto the ground below, letting out a pained shout as he bounced onto the floor with his injured leg first. 

"IMPY!" Tango and Zedaph pulled him up by his armpits immediately, dragging him down the hallway as to not lose any momentum. Fortunately, they managed to evade the Imp that was landing on the ground behind them just seconds after they had gotten impulse away, it's claws boring into the metal floor with full force. Unfortunately, as they scrambled down the hallway that had the kitchen in it, they ran straight into two more demons. 

They were cornered from both sides. 

Impulse struggled upright, leaning heavily against Zed. He attempted to pull out his sword, but immediately dropped it to the floor, his hand shaking. They were pressed back to back with Tango, who was looking back down the hallway, watching the first Imp pull its claws out of the floor and fixate him with its mean yellow eyes. Flames were flickering up it's hands, which was the only reason Tango could properly make out its position. 

On the other side, the second and third demon approached slowly. They were slower than the Imp, but shuffled towards them with a menacing growl. Looking far more human than the Imp, they almost reminded Zedaph of the Zombies on the Minecraft server. Nonetheless, he didn't want to find out what they would do when they got to them. He tried to retreat back, but bumped into Tangos back behind him. Impulse was weighing him down, as he seemed to have trouble staying on his legs. He was also attempting to put himself between Zed and the demons - again - which Zed prevented by simply clamping down on Impulses arm around his shoulder. 

"Guys?" Tango asked behind him, his eyes not leaving the Imp in front of him. His voice was high-pitched. The Imp was crouching, fire in it's hands about to burst free. 

Across from them, the Zombie demons were just about a meter short of Impulse and Zedaph. They pressed back further, their way blocked by Tango who was drawing back himself, his diamond sword in hand - the first Zombie was reaching out, it's wrinkly hand almost touching Zedaph - it was coming closer and closer, Zedaph eyes widened in fear - the Zombie groaned again, opening its horrible mouth - until suddenly, his head was splatted into bits at the nearest wall. 

Zedaph looked up, and a chill ran over him as he saw Xisuma's dad staring at them, his hand still on the wall where it had just vaporized the head of the Zombie into a spray of blood. 

* * *

_Demon._

_The Slayer watched himself, grabbing the demon by it's head and tearing it off._

_Demon._

_The Slayer felt a deep vibrating emotion in his chest as he watched the next demon get ripped in half._

_Demon._

_The Slayer grew restless, uncomfortable. Another demon._

_Demon?_

_The Slayer ran cold, no longer watching himself, watching the demons, being the demons, filled with sudden despair-_

_Slayer._

_The demons came closer, filling his vision, piling higher and higher, their faces distorted and swimming. HE himself came closer, helmet visor fully black and dark, stretching out his hands, reaching. He heard no sounds, only his heartbeat becoming louder and louder and louder. The Slayers vision filled up with demons, drowning him, his sight became tinted red, **red** , **red** -_

Struggling, the Doomslayer realized he was awake, the images and emotions filling his head just a dream. After the realization, the nightmare quickly faded, leaving him exhausted and full of dread. Something was just blatantly wrong, he could feel it. Something was _bad_.

He groaned, his head throbbing. He felt nauseous, and dizziness overcame him, to the point where he could barely keep his eyes open. His skin felt clammy, soaked in sweat. The Slayer weakly threw his covers off of him, _too hot_ , blinking into the room to see just what was so wrong that it had woken him up feeling this uneasy. The room was dim, darker than it had been before. In fact, he could barely see anything - but he did clearly see the door was wide open. He frowned, then squeezed his eyes shut as the movement of his forehead made his headache even worse. 

Something was missing. 

The room felt empty. 

VEGA?

Like a knife stabbing him into his ribcage, fear ran over him. 

VEGA. 

He turned and twisted around on his bed, his limbs numb and discoordinated. It was hot, so hot... He barely had control over his right arm, and it was hard to move it - he could just about make out the disgusting mass growing on his shoulder, but didn't quite manage to bring himself to care in this moment. Previous attempts to tear it off had been futile anyways - it just made it hurt worse. He reached out with his left, hand still in his gauntlet, eyes trained on the little dim led light in his helmet next to him. He knocked over an action figure on his nightstand, but his hand plopped down on his helmet. 

He gave it a strained pat. 

VEGA?

His hand shaking, he tapped his finger against the visor once, then twice. 

_VEGA?_

His hand slid off the helmet, unable to hold up the tension. The Slayer followed suit, cascading out of his bed shoulder first, crumpling together on the metal floor. He let out a shaky breath, resting his cheek against the cool floor. It didn't help much. He felt a draft on his sweaty skin. His body hurt.

Bringing up his left hand, he formed the sign he had picked out as name for VEGA, asking for the AI once more. 

Still nothing. 

The Slayer's breathing quickened. This caused him to cough, and he went into a fit, nearly coughing and hacking his lungs out. It left him more exhausted than before. 

He hated it. He hated being weak. He hated that he didn't know where VEGA was.

Something was blatantly wrong on the fortress, that much was sure. When he looked up, he didn't feel at home, he felt like he was back in long, abandoned hallways, research facilities and space bases and empty buildings. Filled with-

_Demons._

What about X? He vaguely remembered seeing his face. Where had he gone?

What about V? The thought pained him, and the knife in his ribcage twisted itself around. He remembered EX's face, tears flowing down, crying and yelling and twisting into something else...

How his words had shattered the Slayer, unrelenting will and resolve and everything. 

How EX had ran out of the kitchen, fled from him, his _father_...

The Slayer clutched his chest, aching. Was it the memory? Was it the demon infestation that had taken hold in him? He didn't know how to differentiate anymore. His hazy brain wove everything together, spinning fever dreams and nightmares and making him numb. He struggled. Why was VEGA not there? Once more, he desperately glanced up, trying to find the corner with the camera that allowed VEGA to know what was happening. The room was spinning around him. 

He tried his best to focus, not doing a particularly good job at it. 

The Slayer got his attention back to the blatant _wrongness_ of the castle. 

VEGA. 

Wait, what about those boys Xisuma had brought home with him?

The Slayer remembered them glancing into his room earlier. They had seemed awfully nervous, like people usually did, but there was also something up with at least one or two of them. He couldn't quite place his finger on it - he was too out of it, to be fair. Growling, he propped himself up, pushing himself up to his feet with the help of his bed. His knees were awfully wobbly. 

Nonetheless, he had to get to these boys. He was pretty sure they were in danger. And his gut feelings usually prove themselves to be right.

Fighting against nausea and the fact that his sense of balance was doing loops right now, he set one foot in front of the other, the open door in focus. All noises were warbled and slurred, but he could make out some distinct familiar demony sounds. Breathing heavily, he put one hand against the wall to support himself, then dragged his weakened body out of the door. 

Turning right, he saw two Possessed, stumbling towards a group of three very scared looking men. A light at the end of the hallway told him of more demons, and his gaze hardened. He felt a familiar rage coiling in his guts. He could still barely see straight, but it fueled him enough to take some quick steps forward and slam the first Zombie flat against the wall, splattering its head with his left. He ignored the pain pulling at his right half and sent the second Zombie barreling backwards with a kick straight to the chest, then followed up with a very swift and merciless stomp onto its head, like he had done so many times before. It ended the demon quickly. 

The Slayer stumbled off, losing his balance and propping himself up on the wall. 

* * *

Tango, Impulse and Zedaph were staring at the man in front of them in awe, despite the fact that he had nearly crashed into a wall with his shoulder after dispatching the zombie demons incredibly quickly. They felt his gaze on them, and all three of them slinked together, intimidated. The huge man took a few steps towards them, and fear ran through Impulse. Before he could even react, the man shouldered straight through them, pushing the hermits aside and grabbing the remaining demon instead. 

He put both hands on it's chest, each grabbing one side of the protruding armored skin, and then _pulled_.

With a sickening crack of bones and a screech, the demon got torn in half, blood splattering everywhere. The man must have intended to rip it straight apart, but his right hand had lost it's grip and so he only tore the left part of the demons ribcage off - which, of course, was still enough to end it. With a disgusting squelch, the remains dropped to the floor. The man turned around, towering over them, breathing heavily. 

In person directly in front of them he was even more muscular than they had guessed when he was lying down in his bed in a dark room. He was taller than either of them, and probably as wide as all three of them together. He was all muscles - he was wearing a tank top with his arms exposed, and the only thing distracting from his terrifying biceps were maybe the scars littered all over his arms. Oh, and the huge disgusting fleshy mass that was attached to his right shoulder. His presence quickly turned from awe-inspiring into worrysome. It seemed to grow from within him, and branches were snaking off all over his side, pulling at his skin and distorting his shape. It was uncanny, and for some reason the sheer sight of it made them feel wrong and scared. They could barely make out his right hand from underneath it, and it had made it's way partially over his ribs and snaked over his neck and face. On his left, he was wearing some sort of gauntlet, seemingly part of the armor he was wearing on his legs and body - however, he had no chestplate and no shoulder coverage, probably having discarded it for comfort. His face was coated in sweat, and had scars all over it as well. His hair was dark brown and cropped short, and his nose looked like it had been broken occasionally during his apparently very long life, if VEGA's tales of him were true. Despite his inhuman age, he still looked in his best fitness. 

Well, discounting the demon infestation growing on him. 

"Holy shit." Tango whispered, taking in the whole picture.

Team ZIT was stunned at the sudden apperance and demon-killing they had just witnessed. Impulse stumbled backwards, away from the Slayer, while Tango just simply dropped to the floor onto his backside. The sheer presence of this man was overwhelming, even if he didn't seem to be quite himself. Impulse knew this man was sick. He knew he should be in bed, and yet, he could barely fight his urge to get away from him. _This is Xisumas dad!_ He tried to tell himself. _Theres no reason for me to be afraid! Y_ et, he couldn't help himself but to gulp as his eyes traced over the dead demons that were slowly starting to dissolve into ashes, back onto the blood on the Doomslayers hands. Demon blood. He tried to shake his uneasiness, making a step towards him. 

Zedaph, meanwhile, let out a relieved sigh. The sight of this tall man filled him with hope - but it quickly morphed into horror when the mans grip on the wall started slipping and he simply collapsed, creating an unnecessarily loud and clanky _thud_ as he hit the floor. 

"M-... Mr. Dad?" Zedaph asked, daring to take a step closer. 

The Doomslayer didn't move. His breathing seemed labored and shallow, and his brows were scrunched together. Judging by his heated, feverish face, he was definitely not having a great time. 

Zedaph shared a look with Impulse, who apprehensively came closer, and then Tango, who was hovering over the collapsed man nervously as well. The three of them nodded simultaneously, then Impulse and Zedaph grabbed the man under an armpit each and Tango heaved up his heavily armored legs. 


	11. Xisuma gets a tad lonely.

Xisuma leaned back in relief as the download of the research data on demon biology finally started. Closing his eyes, he silently thanked the universe that the data was still there. The download bar was ticking up slowly, but steadily - it was a lot of data. He hoped the disk he had with him was enough for it all. He couldn't upload it to the Castle remotely, since there still was no connection, so this would have to do. 

While the data download continued way too slowly for his taste, he got up and knelt down besides EX again. His brother was still unconscious. Xisuma let out a sigh, softly cupping the face of EX and moving it from side to side to see if he would react. He didn't. His face was pale, the scar across it looking even harsher than usual in the cold light of Olivias office. The bandage Xisuma had put around his head was slowly soaking up blood, but it seemed to have stilled at least to some degree. Carefully, he laid down Evil Xisumas head again, making him lie in a sideways position so he wasn't lying on the wound on the back of his head, or the one on his shoulder. He just really hoped he would wake up soon enough. 

"Ex, how are you feeling?" The admin asked softly, just to fill the silence. EX didn't answer. "I got the research data, it's downloading. It's-..." He leaned over to see the PC screen, checking. "-at 43% currently. Still might take a few minutes." EX didn't reply, and Xisuma rested his helmet in his hands, exhausted. 

He stayed silent for a minute, listening if the demon outside of the barricaded door was still around. He heard some very distant heavy footsteps, but they sounded like they were several hallways away and getting even farther. _Well, at least that's one saving grace._ Xisuma thought to himself, slightly bittered. 

He struggled to get up again. The skin of his arms and hands was still stinging from the glass shards he had scattered over them earlier, and his chest hurt with each breath. He didn't really want to check it out, but the fireball he had taken to his chest hadn't gone unnoticed. The admin accessed his HUD via helmet visor. His health had gone down by a little amount, but was nothing to worry about. Since the data still needed time to download, he did a quick weapons and ammo check. His netherite sword was still in good condition, and his bow still had about 43 arrows. He hadn't used it at all yet - but to be fair, the weapons of his father were much more efficient against the demons. The plasma rifle still had about 80 round of ammunition, which worried him a little. It was starting to run low. The chainsaw was out of fuel entirely, but that was no surprise after how roughly he had treated that Hellknight with it. 

His fingers ran cold and tingly when he thought about it. He couldn't believe how close their encounter had been, it was only hitting him now afterwards - EX could have died. His brother could have genuinely died. He felt anger coil inside him once more. _Anger?_ Xisuma stopped, wondering. Why was he angry? He should be worried, concerned, upset. Frowning, he looked down at EX once more. He knelt down and gently wiped a bit of blood from his brothers face - but his hand was trembling, and it wasn't like it was doing much in the first place, considering how much blood there was. Something felt hot in his stomach, and he swallowed to ignore the feeling. 

_Right. Getting angry won't get me anywhere._ Xisuma thought. He took a deep breath, air rushing through his helmet. _You need to focus, X, jeez. Come on now. What's most important?_

His sight wandered back to EX's unconscious face, then up to the PC screen. 78%.

_EX. EX is most important right now. He needs to rest, and when he wakes back up I can ask VEGA to open up a portal again._

_Then, the research data. Dad needs it. If i get it downloaded we can take it back home and give it to VEGA to analyze. Then, we help dad. Should be nice and easy, really._

He nodded to himself once, then took another deep breath and got back to his feet. His knees felt a bit wobbly. The seething feeling in his core was still there, but he tried his best to not listen to it. Xisuma steeled himself and walked back over to the PC again. The download was almost finished now, just needed a few more perc- 

The lights flickered. 

"No, no, come on..." Xisuma begged, patting the top of the PC and frantically looking between the screen and the Argent energy cell that served as a light source. It seemed dim. 

94%.

"Just a little more, buddy." Xisuma encouraged the old machinery. "Come on."

The bars slowly, slowly ticked up, while the light of the argent cell on the wall was getting dimmer and dimmer. Xisuma's throat felt tight, and he clutched his chest in anxious anticipation. He flinched when his gloves touched the burnt skin under his armor, but quickly put it aside.

98%

"Just a little more, alright?"

99%

Desperately, he glanced to the wall again. The energy cell seemed just about to give out, when a loud "ding" from old distorted speakers made him jump.

_Download complete._

"Oh thank goodness." He quickly unplugged his data stick, letting out a relieved breath he didn't know he was holding. 

"Man, I really deserve a nice cuppa' tea after all this, don't 'cha think?" He muttered to no one in particular, storing the stick in a small compartment at the back of his helmet as not to lose it. Stretching his back, he got up. He still heard his heart beating in his chest, and tried to suppress the feeling in favor of getting work done and getting off this planet. Once more, he lifted a hand to his helmet to establish contact back to the Fortress of Doom. 

"VEGA? Can you hear me?" He asked, once more being met with no response. Biting his lip, he started fiddling with the controls of his helmet and the frequency of the signal he was trying to build up. It shouldn't have changed, right...? No, all the settings still seemed the same as before. He wasn't sure if the Mars storm was still going or not, but he should really be able to make a connection with VEGA. Frustrated, he let his arms sink down again. EX still hadn't stirred, and a pang of worry shot through Xisuma. 

_Come on, X, think fast._ He thought, one eye on the flickering and dimming lights. _No connection to VEGA, so what do i do? Can't get him to open a portal. But we need to get off of Mars. EX needs medical attention. VEGA needs the research data on the demons. Not to mention, Tango and Impulse are still loose on the castle - don't want to come home to see the waffle supply all raided._ He let out a weak chuckle at his attempt on optimism. Fact was, he was incredibly concerned about not hearing from home. VEGA has always been available, had always answered when X asked for anything, no matter the distance. This radio silence was crushing.

He squatted down next to EX, resting a hand on his shoulder as if that would help or comfort him in any way. _Alright, so no portal. How else could we get off Mars?_ He looked around the room, eyes stopping at the dimming cell of Argent Energy on the wall. X doubted there were any functioning shuttle spaceships or anything - and besides, where would he even navigate to? He had no idea where the Fortress of Doom was located in space currently - and space was big. No, there had to be another way. His eyes went over EX as he mulled over his options. His armor had gotten fairly beat up, but at least the electronics in it were still working. A little blue LED was blinking slowly at EX's chestplate, telling him of the active state of the teth-

Xisuma groaned in frustration, slapping his helmet with a **clunk**. 

_The tether!_

_Of course! Stop being such a derp, X! Now's really not the time._ He berated himself while stumbling back to his feet, sliding back behind the PC in the office. The tether system that VEGA had installed in their suits of armor would get them home. That's exactly what it was for, in fact. X silently thanked VEGA for being so cautious and asking them to take it with them. 

"Tether, Tether, what did VEGA say about the Tether..." X muttered, not expecting any answer. Or maybe he did, because getting no response from anyone just wrenched his heart again. He tried to focus. "Right, right. An energy source. VEGA said the tether needs a strong energy source, and then it can get us back home from anywhere."

Xisuma started typing away at the PC, mumbling to himself as he issued commands and pulled up a map of the building. He didn't have much time, since the energy of the tiny argent cell in this room wouldn't keep the PC running for much longer. And he already figured it would be way too weak to get him and EX off Mars via the tether. So he set up Olivia Pierce's PC to scan the research complex for energy sources. The system scanned and calculated for a few agonizing seconds, then with a small _ding_ it popped up available energy sources on the screen. "Mmh.... Not strong enough... not strong enough... to far away..." Xisuma frantically went through the very limited options available to him. He didn't have much time. Finally, he found a strong signal of energy that was relatively close to them. The room it was in was labeled as "VEGA Central Processing".

"Oh dear." Xisuma commented, transferring the coordinates to his helmet and making the location pop up on the miniature map he had from earlier. His stomach lurched at the name of the room. He then set Olivias PC to calculate the quickest route for him. It started the process, but halfway through, the power of the room finally gave in with a small fizzle and clicking noise. The lights in the room died out, and now the only source of illumination were the small LEDs in the brothers armor and helmets. 

Xisuma gulped, uneasiness that had been nagging at him the whole time making its way into his brain. What if he didn't make it to the VEGA Central Processing room? What if he couldn't reach the Energy source? The scan hadn't told him what kind of energy it was, just that it was relatively strong. Plus, he would have to travel to another building to reach the room that scan had showed him, which might be a problem. 

X slid down the desk onto the floor, sitting next to EX. He pulled up his knees and rested his chin on them. Feeling very lost and lonely right now, he listened to the distant clanking of demons outside of the room. He looked down at EX, still unconscious. Gently, he shook his shoulder, but got no reaction. He sighed. The dread in his stomach was starting to overwhelm him, so he tried to calm himself down by making rational decisions and planning his course of action, as he always did. 

_Okay, alright. EX needs to rest. I'll let him rest for ten more minutes, but if he doesn't get up by then...._ He trailed off. What then? X chewed on his lower lip, anxious. He decided he would just carry EX if he hadn't woken up by then. He didn't want to stay on this forsaken Mars base for any longer than necessary, to be honest. Giving in to his fate, he dipped his head down and closed his eyes in exhaustion. He checked if he had anything on him, like a cereal bar or just some water, but came up with nothing. So he decided to just wait for now. 

* * *

Ultimately, after waiting more than 15 minutes, Xisuma decided to just go. 

EX didn't seem to be losing more blood, even though the nasty bite wound on his shoulder worried Xisuma greatly. To travel safely, he plopped EX's helmet back over his head, making sure it wasn't fastened as tight as to not hurt his head wounds any more. 

He picked up his brother, carrying him held tightly to his chest. His arms and legs were starting to tire, and despite being slimmer than him, EX still wasn't exactly a lightweight, especially with his armor on. But Xisuma just ignored it and went on. He stuck to the office rooms as much as he could, avoiding large hallways best as possible. Always pausing, listening for demon noises, his way through the building to the back was very slow and tedious. He ignored the experiments and lab tables and glass tubes all along the walls, the graphs of demons and papers scribbled full of their anatomy. His stomach lurched at the sight of all sorts of medical equipment in one room, and his breathing quickened as he crossed the room quickly, closing his eyes. EX didn't move in his arms. 

Along the way he found a single canister of chainsaw fuel in a corner, and decided to keep in in reserve for an emergency. As he entered the last hallway before getting out of the building, he encountered some demons - just a few Zombies and two Imps, but he had to carefully set down EX at the entrance of the room and dispatch of the demons with help of his sword and bow. One of them got him at his arm, leaving a bloody scratch that was stinging at every move when he picked his brother back up. 

Finally, Xisuma made it out of the building and traveled north to reach the VEGA Central Processing chamber. The Mars storm had died down by now, even if it still was extremely windy. Of course, he constantly tried to contact VEGA as he went along. Yet, despite the fact that the signal should be going through now, he didn't get a response. "Jiminy crickets..." He cursed. Hot worry dropped through his veins, burning up his thoughts. He tried to focus, setting one foot in front of the other. 

The VEGA building was a little ways away, but reachable by foot. It got a little colder as he went on, wind whipping against the skin of his arms and the dried blood on it. Soon enough, frost started crunching over his boots, and as he looked ahead he saw frost and small amounts of snow covering the otherwise bland rocky landscape in front of him. The UAC building he was headed to was nestled within the snowy peaks, contrasting darkly against the white. As X got closer, he could see the building was completely burnt out. All the windows were missing, the metal was black and charred, and large portions of the walls were missing. Circular rings of debris and soot were drawing perimeters outside of the building. He assumed something powerful must have exploded in there somewhere. The only comfort he had was the little red dot on the HUD of his helmet that told him there was still a power source with a lot of energy in there. The freezing wind made him shiver, so he hurried along to get inside. 

As he set foot into the building, complete silence encompassed him, except the howling of the wind. There was nothing left here. Everything was rusty and burnt. Wires were hanging out of the walls, molten plastic and even metal deforming the shapes. Xisuma considered every step, carefully testing whether the floor was safe or not. There was no power left in this building, let alone any electronics that could be powered by it. The further he went in, the darker it got. 

Finally, he reached the central chamber of the building - VEGA's old core. It was a huge, almost cavernous room. The ceiling was high above them, holes letting light, snow and Mars sand through the roof. When Xisuma looked down from the walkway he had entered the room on, he almost couldn't see the bottom - it was pitch black down there. He quickly stopped looking down. It made him queasy. Exhausted, he set down EX onto the walkway, leaning his back against a stable looking piece of railing, then shook out his arms. They hurt. Right now, Xisuma was very tempted to just sit down and rest for a bit, maybe close his eyes for a second.... but he couldn't. They needed to get home. He could rest later. 

The silence of the large room laid heavily on his heart. He looked ahead, seeing the giant, circular processing core, almost looking like a brain. This was where VEGA once resided, he knew that much. It looked... depressing. Cables were hanging out, metal plating was torn off long ago. It was covered in rust and red sand, and the bits that were still visible were charred and burnt out. It looked haunting, and the image was ingraining itself deeply into Xisumas mind. It made him feel lost, lonely. His heart missed something alive, some sound, the pumping of machinery, the crackle of electricity. Yet there was only.... nothing. It hurt. 

He walked up to the central unit in the room, broken down as it was. Both of it's power compartments were empty, glaring holes mocking him. He checked the left and the right side, then did so again, but there was no energy source in sight. "Well _MICROWAVE_ my darn tea!" He muttered, stemming his hands into his hips in offense. The scan had clearly indicated there was an energy source here, but it seemed he would have to look a little further for it. 

For now, Xisuma returned to his brother. He tugged his helmet off again to give him some space to breathe and to check on him. His face was bruised along the edges, and Xisuma could now clearly see the dark bags under EX's eyes. Beside the obvious - blood crusted on his forehead - he generally didn't look good. Xisuma gently held his face with one hand, his thumb tracing over an old scabbed scratch on his cheek and the prominent scar that ran over his eye and nose. He sighed. The wound on EX's shoulder was still looking nasty. The edges were torn and frazzled, and despite the bloodflow having stopped, it was still seeping. The skin around it was discolored and sore. Xisuma scrunched up his face in worry and disgust. 

"Hey, EX?" He asked softly. 

He thought he saw the tiniest twitch of his eyelids. 

"EX? EX, are you there?" X grabbed his brother's face with both hands carefully, holding his breath. And yeah, there was a bit of movement in his face, his brows slightly furrowing, and finally, his eyelids fluttered open just by a little bit.

EX let out an indecipherable groan, his face distorting in pain as he seemed to wake up. 

"V!" Xisuma cried out, pulling his brother up into a tight hug, nearly crushing him against his chest. "Oh V, im so glad you're awake, buddy."

EX let out a small whine, burying his head into Xisumas chestplate. One of his arms hesitantly came around to hug his brother back, but he didn't have any strength left so his hand just slid off Xisumas back. X lessened his grip, as to not hurt him, but kept holding him close. "Oh, EX..." Tears of relief gathered in his eyes, and once more he cursed his helmet for not allowing him to wipe them off. He smiled for the first time since they had gotten into trouble with the demons, just endlessly relieved his brother was waking up again. He felt his arms slowly wrapping around him and clutching onto his armor at his chest. 

"Ex, how are you d-" He asked his brother, but stopped when he heard a small sob. "EX?" He tried to pull him away to look at him, but EX resisted and clung to his chest, hiding. 

X could barely make out his words over the half-conscious slurring and sobbing and crying. 

"I didn't... I didn't mean to-... nnh... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, _I'm sorry_ , I didn't... Dad...." Another sob shook his entire frame, and X hugged him tighter in return. Xisuma felt tears soaking into his clothes, and yet EX still refused to let go of him. He gritted his teeth against EX rustling the burns on his chest and he clutched onto him even tighter. "I shouldn't have said-... I'm so sorry!" EX cried out in a sob. "But he was there and I'm... was-... so scared, I'm so sorry, I _didn't mean it like that_ -.... He just-... Barty... I'm not-.... I shouldn't have said that, _I shouldn't have said that_! I'm so sorry-... _Dad_..."

"Hey, EX, EX!" Xisuma gently unwrangled his arms, petting EX's hair lightly. "EX, it's okay! You're gonna be fine, okay? What are you talking about?" He pushed EX out of his arms, holding his shoulders. 

His face was swollen and red, with tears running down his cheeks, tracing lines through the blood and dirt. He was slipping, his teeth sharpening and his eyes becoming more demon-like. EX looked up to Xisuma through a pool of tears. "I'm so sorry, i need to go and apologize to Da-..." He trailed off, his expression freezing up and the flow of tears suddenly stopping as he saw X's worried face and realization seemed to hit him. 

EX quickly squirmed out of Xisumas hold, curling up and wiping his face on his sleeve. His face was of regret. 

"EX?"

EX wasn't meeting Xisumas eyes, completely clamming up. He must have come to his senses after waking up, as he looked downright terrified of X and started inspecting the environment instead. X could see his face fall and his heart sink as he spotted the desolate remains of the VEGA core. 

"EX, what was that all about?" Xisuma tried again, struggling back to his feet. 

EX simply shook his head, then whines and held his head as the movement gave him nausea and pain. He was only now realizing what had happened, and gingerly felt around the bandage on his head, drawing a grimace as he reached the large wound on the back of it. 

"Come on EX, talk to me, _please_? What about dad?"

"...What happened? Where are we?" EX asked, clearly avoiding the question. His voice was timid and hoarse. 

Xisuma stared at him for a second longer. He felt a pang of annoyance pop up, despite still being worried about EX's general state. Why wasn't he talking to him? "VEGA Central Processing. There should be an energy source here to activate the tether and get us home."

"Home? VEG- Wh-... What happened? What about the data?"

Right. EX had been unconscious for quite a while. Better start a bit earlier. But first...

"EX, how are you feeling?" He asked as gentle as possible, despite growing more and more anxious the longer they stayed here.

EX gingerly brought a hand up to his forehead, drawing a face. He was swaying from side to side a little. "Well-... my head hurts...Where are...?" He looked around again. His face was unnaturally pale, and he looked sick. "What happened, X?"

Xisuma sighed, kneeling down to him again. "You got knocked out by a Pinkie demon, pretty badly. Big old fella just slammed you right into a wall. I was really worried, you know? But I managed to get you out of there into a safe room, and got to download the research data. But, I still can't reach VEGA, so he can't portal us home. Don't know whats going on - we should be able to contact him."

EX's face changed into worry, mirroring Xisumas own expression. "Can't... contact VEGA?" He muttered, still hazy.

"I scanned for an energy source strong enough to get us home. There should be one here, but..." Xisuma looked back to the empty terminal he had inspected earlier. There was nothing on the walkways either, so the next best place to look was... down. As he looked down into the depths below the walkway, he saw a faint red shimmer. Something was emitting light there. And if there was light, there must be energy as well. "I'm gonna climb down there and see if i can find anything. You just stay here and rest, alright? Call me if anything happens. And maybe keep an eye on the signal back to the castle, will ya?"

EX nodded numbly. He was still staring down at the ground, knees drawn up to his chin. Was he still out of it? Was it whatever he was so clearly hiding from X? He decided to ask him once they were back at the castle and in safety. Xisuma wondered if his words had really registered with EX, but started climbing down the ladder into the bottom part of the room anyways. 

The ladder dragged on for longer and longer, and he set each step carefully out of fear the old rusted metal would just break off on him. He finally reached the bottom of the room, looking around. It was extremely dark, but he could steer towards the dim red light he saw somewhere off in the distance. Climbing over sharp metal edges and debris of all sorts, he made his way through the room. Judging by the VEGA terminal he had seen upstairs, he was looking for large cylindrical containers. He assumed that whoever had taken them out of the terminal last time someone was on the Mars base must have just dropped them down into this bottom of the room afterwards. And, well, his best guess was that it had been his father who had last been here.

The first tube he found was shattered, emitting absolutely no energy whatsoever. Luckily, the other cylinder had survived the fall, the core explosion and imminent collapse of most of the building. It was still intact, and red energy coiling inside was what had emitted the light Xisuma had followed. Sighing, he grabbed the container at the upper handle. It was tall once he stood it upright, some dust and rubble falling off - it reached up to his hips almost. It was heavy as well, and the energy stored within was thrumming beneath Xisumas fingertips. He wasn't sure what kind of energy this contained, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know in the first place. It almost seemed alive. He shuddered, trying to shake off the feeling, and instead started hauling the energy cylinder back towards the ladder with his tired muscles. 

The climb was long and tedious, but eventually, Xisuma managed to get back up onto the walkway without any major hiccups, heaving up the container with him. He dragged it over to where EX was resting, then let himself drop to the floor, exhausted. 

As he rested his head on the railing for a second, EX stirred. He blinked open his eyes, which immediately were caught by the sight of the red light from the cylinder. Fascinated, EX crawled closer. 

"Feeling any better, EX?" Xisuma asked him, already guessing the Tether transportation wouldn't be the most pleasant thing. EX didn't answer. 

Instead, he slowly raised his hands, resting them against the energy container, bringing his face closer and closer until nothing but the red reflected in his eyes. He seemed entirely transfixed. 

"...EX?" Xisuma asked, straightening his back at the worrying sight. He snapped with his fingers, trying to get EX to snap out of it. "EX?"

Still, EX didn't react to his presence. His pupils had become tiny slits, and his expression creeped Xisuma out in a way he couldn't really place a finger on. Whatever had him so upset earlier, it appeared to be completely forgotten now. However, he'd have to get a grip if Xisuma wanted him to cooperate to get back home. 

He simply grabbed his brothers face with both hands, jerking his head around somewhat abruptly, forcing EX to look at him. "V, come on. We need to get home, remember?" EX blinked, confused, then his eyes focused back on Xisuma. "V." Xisuma mildly shook him once, minding his head injury but trying to get him to respond to him again. 

"I'm..." EX muttered something, trying to turn his attention back to the energy cell full of....

 _Ah_. Suddenly, it clicked in Xisumas mind. _Argent energy_. He let go of EX, who immediately became engrossed in the device again. Xisuma didn't like this one bit. EX was injured, he probably had a severe concussion or something, and he needed to get home as quickly as possible. His demonic genes coming through and making him super invested in Argent Energy didn't really help in this situation. 

"EX, come on. We need to get home."

EX finally looked up, seemingly coming out of some sort of trance, stopping his tentative attempts to claw his way into the container. He was leaving blood smears all over the tube. Xisuma raised his eyebrows in worry.

"Hbuh?" came EX's short answer. 

"Home. We're using the Tether to get home. We're gonna need to absorb the energy from this into out suits to activate it."

EX had looked back to the cylinder after hearing they had to absorb the energy, seemingly excited. " _Nice_..." He drawled out, voice almost a hiss. 

Xisuma sighed again, straightening his back in resolve. He resigned himself to just doing everything by himself, and taking EX along by force if he had to. His body was exhausted, but he tried to focus on the energy thrumming beneath his fingers as he touched the cylinder. Not paying attention to EX's jealous glares at his movement, he activated a button on his chestplate where he had put in the tether earlier. A small note reading 'Tether active' popped up in his helmets HUD. He repeated the same action for Evil X. 

"EX, I need you to wear your helmet. Sorry, buddy." It wasn't a request. Xisuma simply took the object in question and used both hands to pull it over EX' head, carefully pushing it over the bandages on his head. EX let out a few whimpers as it brushed over the injuries on his head, and Xisuma couldn't imagine it being too comfortable, but unfortunately he couldn't pay attention to that right now. He rather not subject his brother to a massive surge of energy without his full suit on.

He started unscrewing the lid of the energy container. EX immediately snapped his attention to it, eyes once more red dots glowing on his visor. " **What are we-... what's this...?** " He whispered incoherently, moving closer. He reached for it. 

Xisuma grabbed both of his hands, letting out a shaky breath. He simply held one of EX's hands in his own, squeezing it nervously, while he guided the other closer to the glowing red energy that was coiling inside the now open container. It bristled the air around it and X noticed his visor had automatically dimmed darker. 

"VEGA said the armor will automatically reroute all power coming in, and I set it to assign everything to the Tether system." He explained, trying to reassure both himself and EX. His hand hovered closer and he felt the heat of the energy arcs, but he hesitated. 

" **Will it hurt?** " EX asked, suddenly sounding a lot more aware and also scared. X swallowed, not meeting his eyes. Mentally he was trying to steel himself, but he was tired and exhausted and, quite frankly, terrified. He tried not to let it show, but his voice still cracked as he looked over to EX.

"I'm sorry, V."

With that, he plunged his and EX's hand into the container, red light bursting out and encompassing them in a shrill resonance.


	12. X and EX come back home after a long work day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to dawn for inspiring me to make this chapter slightly worse
> 
> (cw slight gore)

_Red, red, red - Xisuma felt himself being torn apart as soon as he had touched the unfiltered Argent Energy. It was shooting through his suit, seeping into his body, pulling at his seams. His senses blanked - there was just pure energy all around and inside him._

Xisuma let out a shout when he and EX cascaded down onto the floor of the Fortress of Doom, red arcs of energy still surging over their bodies. It burnt their skin, made their muscles clench up, their chests ache. It hurt. Xisuma took a while to come back to his senses after the remaining energy dispersed, and he struggled to get up as quickly as possible, but his buttery knees gave in and his muscles failed him, still suffering under the foreign energy. However, as he looked around, he was definitely home, back in the command deck of the castle. The Tether had worked. 

"Hngh..." He grunted, face distorted in pain. Trembling, he waited until the worst wave of pain had passed and he could open back up his eyes.

There was something off - it was completely dark. Not even the blue little lights along the paths and castle accents were lit. 

It made Xisumas skin crawl for some reason, and he propped himself up. "VEGA? We got the data, but EX needs help." He made a small pause, his heart sinking down his chest and beating louder and louder. "H-...How is dad doing? Where are Tango and Impulse?"

The command deck was empty.

"VEGA?"

Xisuma felt his stomach twist, and he slowly turned around to EX. He still had little wisps of red energy running over his arms, and his eyes glowed red in the dark, piercing through his visor. They even overshadowed the LEDs that EX had installed in his helmet long ago. Involuntarily, X leaned back. 

" **What's going on? VEGA?** " EX asked, shaky. He managed to stagger up to his feet, even if he had to grab onto a desk for support. He moved his head slowly from left to right, seemingly having trouble focusing on things.

Xisuma finally struggled up to his feet as well, his muscles aching and the strange energy still tingling deep in his bones. That was definitely not his favorite method to travel. Even VEGAs portals seemed like a cakewalk in comparison. "We-... ugh..." He paused, riding through a sudden wave of nausea.

EX seemed to be a tad more lively than before, he was walking over to the front and looked over the terminal screens. 

"VEGA seems to be down." X finally brought out, worried to no end. 

" **Thats not good...** " EX muttered. The last bits of argent energy were dispersing, and he visibly slouched. " **Ugh**." His hand wandered up to his head as nausea and dizziness washed over him once more as well, his headache returning like he was being slammed into a wall all over again.

It was quiet for a second - and Xisuma thought he picked up weird noises in the distance. Scratching, and clanking, and footsteps, and - growling? screeching?

"Uh oh." He made, eyes widening. 

" **Not good.** " EX hissed. " **Ugh, my head is killing me...** " He tugged off his helmet, and it slipped out of his fingers, clattering loudly to the floor. "Ah, stupid shoulder... stupid... blood." He complained lowly, clutching his injured shoulder as he walked over to Xisuma. 

"Tango and Impulse." Xisuma whispered. "And-... Oh dear, and dad is-... Oh my word, this is bad. This is really bad. EX, we need to go help dad. Something bad is going on here. I-... I think there's demons on the ship." His eyes widened as he spoke, realizations dawning on him. 

It all came crashing down on him - EX being injured, and acting weird before. His own bone-deep exhaustion, his injuries making him feel like his skin was set on fire. The lingering feeling of Argent Energy that had ran through his veins, still a shadow on his body. The feeling of safety, of _home_ , that had all been stripped away when he realized VEGA was out and his Dad was hurt and Demons were loose on the very place he had always been safe in.

It was all a bit much.

For a few seconds, X allowed himself to close his eyes, forcing himself to focus on his breathing. He was so tired... He was tired. He didn't want to do this anymore. Part of him just wanted to fall asleep, in his comfortable bed in his base on the Hermitcraft server, thinking about the next tower for his base or the next minigame to build for his fellow hermits. But, he couldn't do that now. He needed to get things done first. He needed to help his brother, figure out what was going on with him, treat his wounds. Find his dad, make sure he was okay. Find Tango and Impulse, know they are safe. Boot the power of the ship back up, get back to VEGA. It seemed like everyone around him currently needed his help, and he was only one person. He could only do so much - but he had to, for their sake. 

Letting out a long, shaky breath, he opened up his eyes again.

"Demons?" EX took a visible step back at Xisumas previous statement, face morphing into horror and regret. 

"Come on, EX." Xisuma took out his sword again. 

EX didn't move. 

"...EX." Xisuma could feel his patience wearing thin. Now was really not the time for EX to play one of his games. "EX, just-... what are you _hiding_? I'm getting really fed up with all this. Tango and Impulse are in danger probably, and Dad is-.... well, goodness knows where, and you decide to play one of your little games. Just tell me what's going on man! We don't have time for this."

EX recoiled some more, his eyes flitting left and right as if he was looking for an escape route. He was clearly uncomfortable. EX wrapped his arms around himself, looking to the floor. "I'm-..."

"You're _what_?" X asked, a little harsher than he would have liked. He had just gotten relief after a whole hour of assuming his brother was dying, and now all this! EX had been acting weird ever since, and Xisuma was simply too tired to put up with it any more. There were places he needed to be, things he had to do, people he had to help. He felt himself growing annoyed with EX as well - couldn't he just come along for once, or simply tell him what happened? There were enough emergencies to tend to, X didn't have the time to pull all the details out of his brothers nose one by one. Not to mention the unsettling darkness of his home really got to Xisuma as well. This was supposed to be... safety. Home. 

"EX, _please_. I need to know what happened." He asked once more, voice resembling an annoyed growl.

EX flinched, his eyes trained firmly on the ground. He took a deep breath, then finally spoke up. "I-... I had a fight with dad. It was-... It was pretty bad, and I..." He trailed off, shaking. 

"A fight?" Xisuma pried. "What happened."

"I made a mistake, and got too close to-..." EX shrank into himself even more. "I-... I don't wanna talk about it..."

Xisuma felt another growl rising up in the back of his throat. " _Fine_." He snarled, turning around on his heels and walking towards the open door. "Don't, then. Let's take care of these demons."

He heard EX hesitate before his footsteps came after him. Twirling his sword in his hand once, he started trekking towards the loudest source of demon screeches he heard, hoping to find his Dad and the two hermits as soon as possible.

* * *

"Man this guy is heavy." Tango said, prone on the floor, still trying to catch his breath.

"Yep. Should check his diet." Zedaph made a weak attempt at a joke, patting a heavily armored leg of the Doomslayer. The Slayer shifted, face flushed with sweat and eyes squeezed together. Blood was trickling down from the mass on his arm. Zedaph quickly averted his eyes, trying to ease the queasiness of his stomach at the sight. 

Impulse just gave a tense nod, clutching his leg while sitting leaned against the wall. The strain of carrying the Doomslayer had taken a lot out of him, and the wound started bleeding again heavily - as if it hadn't been bad enough before.

The three of them had managed to somehow drag the Slayer off to a fairly safe room, away from the demons in the main hallways. After getting out of where they had found him, they had pulled him up the stairs of the large circular room, past the room they had hidden in earlier, over the drawbridge in front of the mecha and up another story. Their original plan was to make it all the way up to the command deck, but they needed a break, and the constant distant clamoring of the demons had put them all on edge. Impulse had started lagging behind with his bad leg, and Zedaph and Tango were growing massively exhausted of carrying the Slayer. He wasn't exactly light. So eventually, they saw a sectioned off room, and decided to hide there for a break. 

It seemed to be some sort of airlock to the outside. Through the glass sections of the outer door, they could see an old, stone-made bridge, leading to a small.... island? Part of the Fortress? That was simply floating in space. The power shutdown and the station now running on backup generators had caused the outer airlock door to lock tightly, displaying 'sealed' on it. It was most likely an emergency measurement as to not cause problems with air on the ship if the outer hull should fail. All other doors were open though, and they had no way of closing off the airlock room from the rest of the ship. At least there was only one entrance - they could keep an eye on that, but it also meant they would be trapped in this room.

They had managed to stay out of any demons way on their way over here, only occasionally seeing one at the end of a hallway. They were quite obviously searching for them. Well, not them in particular probably, but they were most likely looking for prey to hunt and meat to tear apart. The thought made Zed shudder. 

"Oh this isn't good, you guys. Not good at all." Impulse whispered, listening for the demon noises on the ship.

"Oh really? Ya _think_?" Tango replied, sitting down next to him. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know! Something!"

"Gee thanks for your input, Zed!"

"Whoah now, hey hey." Impulse raised his arms, trying to quell any fighting before it even happened. "We're gonna be fine, alright? We just need to find a way to hold off the demons until power comes back on."

"Do you think it will come back?" Zedaph asked, nervous. He was kneeled down next to the Slayers head, keeping an eye on the sick man. He had, since they came into the room, started tossing and turning in his sleep, making it hard to keep him calm.

"I sure _hope_ so." Impulse replied, while Tango was working on calming down and taking deep breaths. 

After setting the Slayer down, they had leaned the large man against a broken pillar of sorts, but he had been unable to keep himself sitting upright and just slid right off to the ground, lying loosely curled up. He was feverish. Not quite seeming to take note of them, he wasn't fully conscious, but he was twitching occasionally and his eyes were fluttering open and closed. His face had turned from flushed to deathly pale, highlighting the dark bags under his eyes and making the dark red veins of demonic infestation stand out even more. A small tiny tendril covered his right eye, forcing it to stay shut. 

Zedpah pointed to it. "Uhh, guys? Was that like this before?"

"What? Lemme see." Tango answered, leaning over the Slayer to take a look. 

Just in that moment, the Slayer moved - he tried to sit up but failed, his eyes unfocused. Breathing heavily, he blindly grasped for his shoulder with his left hand, missing a few times before going right for the largest of the veins of the growth, which by now were nearly indistinguishable from each other. He curled his fist tightly around it, grabbing hold, fingers digging into the flesh - and before and of the three hermits could react in any way, he ripped it right off. 

Now, despite being weakened, he still seemed to have a lot of strength left when it came to tearing things apart - but instead of yanking off long vines of the stuff, what happened was that he simply tore out a fist-sized chunk of flesh from the mass, making him topple back from the release of force. It immediately started bleeding profusely. The Slayer didn't scream or even grunt, but by the way he was doubling over and scrunching up his face it was very clear he was in a lot of pain. He curled inwards, trembling slightly, blood pumping out of the mass on his shoulder. 

"Oh my lord!" Shocked, Impulse stumbled back to his feet, his eyes widening at the sight. Zedaph gagged and took a step back, while Tango came closer, his face empathetically drawn into a grimace.

"Mr. Slayer, don't-... Don't do that, please!" The Slayer was feebly reaching for the next bit of demon growth, but Tango caught his arm and stopped him from going through with it. "It's no use anyways, Mr. Slayer! You're just hurting yourself!" He stared down at the blood that was now also staining his own hands. "...Well, more than you already are."

"I hate to say this but - Tango's right! You're not doing yourself any favor!" Zedaph agreed, patting the Slayers non-injured shoulder to try and calm him down. It was a little awkward, seeing as the large man was still curled up on the floor. 

" _Hey_!" Tango complained. "Impulse, help me out man."

Together, they pulled the Slayer back upright, leaning him with his back against the wall. He had his eyes closed again, breathing heavily, and didn't seem to be aware of what was going on - he barely managed to sit without sliding back down to the ground. The three of them watched in distaste as the torn apart vein of the mass on his shoulder stilled the blood flowing out and slowly started regenerating - not at an insane rate, but still visible to the bare eye. Even Tango could see it properly if he went up close to it with his face. The growth was throbbing and just disgusting to look at in all ways - no wonder the Slayer tried to get rid of it. It was also quite obviously the source of his strong fever.

"Well, what now? Can we, you know, help him?" Impulse asked quietly, already examining his clothes and wondering what could be turned into bandages. However, it wasn't like there was really anything to bandage - the Slayer didn't have any obvious injuries, and Impulse would really prefer to avoid touching whatever it was that was so rapidly growing on him. 

"I dunno..." Tango shrugged. 

Zedaph was just looking at the Slayer with great worry, but a faint noise made him perk up. "Guys, we might have more problems." He urged the others to flatten themselves against the wall in an attempt to hide, all of them staying as still as possible and listening for the noises that were ringing through the Fortress of Doom. The Slayers pained breathing filled the room. It was accompanied by running footsteps of demons, some light, some heavier. They were screeching and generally making a racket more than before - the open door dampened none of the sounds. That also included the shots that started echoing through the Castle, always followed by more demonic shouting. Team ZIT looked at each other, then back to the open door. 

"What is that?" Hissed Impulse. He was currently holding himself up by leaning heavily against Zeds shoulder, since his leg wanted to give in as soon as he put any weight on it. 

"Sounds like... Shotgun blasts?" Tango could only guess. There was another howl of a demon, sounding like it was drawing near. "Uh oh, i think they're getting closer..."

"Oh no, no no..." Zed muttered, their last encounter with a demon still in mind. This time, they had no Doomslayer to save them last minute. He was, in fact, passed out on the floor between them. "This is arguably one of the Top Three Worst Situations I've ever been in."

"Zed."

"Or Bottom Three? How do you rank negative Threes? Is that a minus three? Maybe I should do six?"

"Zed!"

After a hard jab of Impulses elbow and a following pained yelp, Zedaph fell quiet again. 

They had no vision of what was going on, so they had to try and gather clues by listening. The major source of noise seemed to come from above them, but was slowly gaining distance and then coming closer again, this time from the front. The occasional gunshots soon quieted down, and the screaming of demons and their many footsteps only grew louder. Zedaph heard the distinct thumping and clicking of clawed feet on a metal floor. The noises echoed through the empty and dark castle, making it much spookier than the situation needed to be, and also multiplying every sound manifold. Zedaph felt his breathing get quicker by the second. His skin was sweaty, and the slightest breeze made him shiver as his whole body was tense, wound up to flee at any minute if anything should happen. Not that he had anywhere to go. A quick glance told him Tango and Impulse seemed much the same. 

Tango had given up trying to peer through the overwhelming darkness outside and was instead keeping an eye on the Slayer. Impulse with his demon vision, meanwhile, was looking out the door. 

There was nothing happening for a while, just the sounds of demons coming closer and closer. Finally, Impulse spotted something - A set of glowing eyes, red and malicious. They were moving closer, and Impulse eventually could make out a shadow that the eyes belonged to. The demon was skittering over the metal floor, stopping every few steps, moving its head from side to side. It was quite obviously on a search for prey. Impulse gulped as he realized _they_ were the prey, and and held Tango and Zedaph back just a little tighter. The shadowy figure came closer, and Impulse could make out sniffles and gargles from the creature as it approached. The distant screeches of demons on other parts of the castle had died down a little - but the noise this approaching demon was making drowned out everything else, except his own heartbeat which Impulse could hear pumping in his ears. 

He intently kept watching, unable to do anything else. 

The demon was moving weirdly, all jerky movements and weird angles. It was similar to the Zombie-like demons they had encountered earlier in the hallway, but Impulse soon realized with horror that it had been... altered. A cannon replaced one of it's arms, shiny metal claws the other, and on various places on its body there were chrome metal alterations and wires sticking out visible. 

Impulses heart sank as he saw another, yellow set of eyes glow faintly at the end of the hallway, but his attention snapped back to the mechanical Zombie when it made a groaning sound. Its head swiveled around, and it stopped. The demon was now only a few meters away from the open door in front of them. A gurgling noise escaped from it's throat, and Impulse was definitely sure it had seen (or otherwise sensed) them. Every second step clanking loudly, the demon made his way towards them, much faster than anticipated. 

"Oh no, no no..." Impulse whined, backing up towards the far back wall, dragging Tango and Zed along with him. The Slayer shifted - perhaps sensing the approaching demon? However, his arms gave in to him as he tried propping himself up, and he sank back to the floor. 

"Thats definitely not good." Tango commented, feeling the far wall of the room in his back, having no place left to go. 

"Good lord, what IS that?" Zedaph asked, voice tainted with fear and disgust.

"Hrrgrhhhhaaaaahhh-,,,,," The demon gargled, incomprehensively. 

"N-Nice to meet you hrrgrraah, I'm-" Zed's high-pitched voiced broke entirely before he could finish his sentence. 

"Not now!" Tango hissed, scared out of his mind.

The demon had reached the door now, coming through, metal claws screeching down the doorframe. Background nose was picking up, getting louder and louder, approaching- Impulse wondered how they would get out of this one, the Slayer down- Zedaph prepared to fight, a tight knot in his throat, his fists shaking- Tango was clutching onto Impulses shirt, holding him upright, trying to find an escape route, growing desperate- the Zombie did step after step, the noise becoming drowning, overwhelming, instilling fear in them, growing louder and louder, until-

Suddenly, the demon was chainsawed straight in half. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: hey guys!  
> the next chapter has been a bit uncooperative with me, but its very important to me i get this particular chapter right and it's up to my standards - so i will be skipping next weeks update to get a bit more time for the chapter (and also bc i need a break lol) 
> 
> so no update next wednesday, but i'll be back on oct. 7! i hope you guys understand!!
> 
> take care and thank you for reading <3


	13. Xisuma is angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Thank you for your patience and support! 
> 
> shoutout to n0va for beta-reading this chapter for me!
> 
> cw: heavy emotional conversations, anger

Xisuma stood in the doorway, covered in freshly splattered blood from the demon, chainsaw still growling in his hands. Something about his body language and the odd yellow glow from behind his visor made him look... furious. He held still for a second, taking in the whole scene of the room. Blood was spread all over Xisuma's armor - his chest, his helmet, his arms. With its bright almost purple-red colour, it was contrasting the older, dried blood all over the admin. He was breathing heavily, his oddly piercing eyes flicking up from the two halves of the demon’s body on the floor to the living people in the room. Behind his visor, his eyes widened as they wandered over the shivering form of his father, the Doomslayer, then his expression shifted into disbelief as he spotted the three hermits at the end of the room. His look changed from hurt and betrayed, to disappointment, then, as he straightened his back and put away his chainsaw, shock.

"You- Zedaph?!" Xisuma’s eyebrows narrowed at the sight of the sheep-like hermit. "Guys, what is-? What are any of you still doing here! I wasn't fully expecting you to go home as I asked you to - but you brought Zedaph here?  _ Why _ ?"

Xisuma let his arms drop to his side, staring between Tango and Impulse exasperated. "What were you  _ thinking _ ?!"

They didn't meet his eyes. Agitated, Xisuma started walking up and down the room while he talked. "I  _ asked  _ you to stay put! I  _ asked  _ you not to cause trouble! And what do you do? You bring Zedaph here as well, bring another person in danger! I  _ trusted  _ you!"

Xisuma felt like he had been stabbed in the chest. Didn't they see he only meant well? He had tried so hard to get back home, fought teeth and claws to keep himself and his brother alive, just to come back to the hermits blatantly ignoring his requests and warnings? His disappointment tipped over into exhausted frustration, and he grit his teeth. 

"I thought you could be responsible for once in your life,Tango, Impulse! I leave you in the castle, allowing you to stay, and what do you do? Put another hermit in danger as well! Neither of you were supposed to be here in the first place - you followed me despite my warnings! There's a reason I didn't want you to come here!" Jerkily, he pointed to Impulse’s torn leg. "There's a reason I  _ say things _ ! I should have forced you to stay home." The barely concealed anger and disappointment in Xisuma’s voice was more than apparent. It sank itself deep into the hermits’ hearts. None of them could meet his eyes. 

"And the Castle, as well! I have no idea what you did, or how, or WHY, but in the few hours I have been gone - you managed to release a horde of bloody demons in my home and somehow shut down my Uncle, VEGA! He was supposed to help you! I can only guess that he warned you and you didn't listen to him at all! And now look at where that got us all!" Raising his arms, Xisuma pointed vaguely into the room.

EX had snuck into the room during his speech, and sat down at the wall opposite to the Slayer, as far away as possible. He was curled into a tight ball, resting his head on his knees, shivering. The man tried his best not to look at Xisuma. His mangled shoulder was twitching whenever he tried to move it, and his world was still slurring with considerate delay all around him due to his head injury. Zedaph, Impulse and Tango were also trying to avoid Xisuma’s gaze. Impulse was slipping - he wasn't doing well, his face pale and slightly sweaty, his leg once more dripping blood to the floor, unable to pay much attention. Right now, Zedaph was the only thing keeping him upright, holding his upper body and clinging to his shirt. Zed himself was acting very remorseful and guilty, unwilling to look at the admin and drawing his shoulders up to his ears as Xisuma kept talking. Tango nervously scratched his arms, then looked up to X. 

"X- look, man, we didn't... We didn't mean to do this! We didn't want it to turn out like this! We were just-"

Xisuma interrupted him, voice slightly rising in volume.    
"Well, it doesn't matter what your  _ intent  _ was! Because it  _ DID _ turn out like this! How am I supposed to deal with all this?!"

"Well, we-... we could-..." Tango spoke up, meekly. Xisuma was.... scary. 

"You've done enough already!" Xisuma said harshly, cutting with his hand through the air. 

Tango slinked back from him, looking to the floor. He had never seen Xisuma get angry, and to be frank, it was unsettling. His face was mostly hidden behind the visor, but Tango found himself unable to meet his piercing eyes - they seemed to glow in anger. Even the purple tint of the glass couldn't hide the yellow color his eyes seemed to have taken on. Zedaph, at the same time, wondered if this was what he had seen in the hallway, approaching behind the demon. Had Xisuma’s eyes always been yellow glowy? This was definitely news to Zedaph. 

Then again, none of them had ever experienced him truly mad. 

Xisuma was very level-headed and rational, always staying calm and helpful. He had not once gotten mad at the hermits, no matter how much they broke the server with their redstone and how many shenanigans and mischief they had gotten up to. Seeing him like this was jarring. Not only that, it was terrifying. Xisuma was a huge man, and his size had always been reassuring to the hermits - now it was just scary to see such a big kind man in anger. 

"You should not have put Zedaph in danger, Tango, Impulse. That was extremely irresponsible! I wish you had just listened to me this  _ one bloody time _ !" He was spitting out the last words through gritted teeth, one by one.

All of the three hermits felt downright miserable at his words - he was completely right. They should have gone home. They knew they deliberately did not listen to Xisuma - or VEGA, for that matter - and that it was what brought all three of them into this mess. Tango and Impulse shared a guilty look. Now that Xisuma was saying it, they realized he was right. They should not have brought Zedaph here as well. They had been so excited about the idea of exploring a spaceship and wanted to bring their best friend along - not one minute had they thought it could mean danger for either of them. Now that Xisuma laid it out like this, it seemed obvious. But now, it was too late, and the damage was already done. 

Impulse slid down Zedaph's shoulder until he was slumped on the floor, exhaustion kicking in despite the heavy guilt and adrenaline in his system. His leg was aching, and he was pretty sure it would be infected or something similar. He still found himself unable to look at Xisuma directly, so he numbly watched EX crawl across the room towards the Slayer. The Doomslayer was still shaking, his eyes closed tightly. Impulse could only imagine the pain he must be in. He seemed to move when EX got closer, but Impulse couldn't tell if he sensed his son’s presence or if it had been an involuntary twitch. 

EX was hovering above his father, one hand half stretched out towards him, face full of doubt and guilt. It distorted into a pained expression even more, before EX decided to draw his hand back, shaking. He averted his eyes from the sight of the demonic infection and his father altogether, curling up into a ball once more. 

Xisuma whipped around, turning to EX.    
"And you,  _ buddy _ . I don't know what's going on with you - you said you fought with dad, but won't tell me what happened! How am I supposed to help you this way!" He stepped closer, and EX flinched, practically crawling backwards away from him. His face wasn't obstructed by a helmet, so everyone could see how... terrified he looked. Tears of pain and hurt had gathered in his eyes, and his teeth were sharp and protruding from his mouth when the other hermits were sure they had not done so before. He was quivering. Subconsciously, EX was trying to get distance between him and his enraged brother. His oddly red eyes were nervously flicking between Xisuma, the Doomslayer and the door. 

"X-.... look-...." His words were getting stuck in his throat. He flinched again as his injured shoulder was strained with movement, and tried to stay still despite Xisuma walking up to him, standing tall. His face seemed to slip - it almost looked like the skin was deforming. "X, you don't-... I didn't want it to be like this...."

"Well, what a happy coincidence because  _ neither did I _ ! But  _ something  _ led up to all this-" Xisuma waved over to their dad, lying motionless across the room, covered in demon flesh. "-and you know more than you're letting on, and frankly, I'm sick of it!" Xisuma’s voice was getting louder and deeper, almost sounding like a slight growl as he spoke. 

"EX. What happened between you?"

"As... As I said, I'm.... we had a fight..." EX was turning his head to the side, fiddling with a stray strand of hair. 

Impatient, Xisuma clicked his tongue.    
"We've had fights in the past, but it's never been like that! What do you  _ mean _ ?! Why can't you just... apologize and move on, and help me to figure out how to solve this demon infection issue!"

In a frustrated noise, EX cried out.    
"It's... It's not that simple, Xisuma, alright! This is nothing that can be resolved with a simple apology!"

Xisuma was silent for a moment.    
"What did you say to him." His growl had gotten even more dangerous. 

"I-... ah..." EX tried to retreat even further

"V."

EX took a shaky breath. His hands had long since gone cold, and his vision was still swimming slightly - but most importantly, he was in a corner. There was no way out of this situation.    
"It... It started because I got, uhm. You see, there's this Gargoyle - he's very sweet and friendly." He started his explanation, voice timid and words spilling out quickly. "I was downstairs in the 'torium and he came up to me and-"

"Hold up, hold up - Gargoyle? As in the demon species Gargoyle?" Things were clicking together in Xisumas head - why EX was behaving so weird, why he was in such a bad argument with Dad. His disbelief quickly turned into irritation.

"Y-... yes... Xisuma, before you get mad, you see-" Panicking, EX's face started to drop. He hated the way his skin was slowly starting to pull taut over his bones, how it hardened up like leather and began to separate into plates. He chewed on his lips nervously, the sharp teeth quickly drawing blood. 

"So. Let me get this straight." Xisuma was stiff with anger, staring down at EX. His eyes once more had flared up in that sickly yellow. "You befriended a demon?"

"I-... Ah, if you put it that way-"

"EX, they are demons! You know who dad is, right?" 

"They... He's not that bad!" EX cried out, unable to stop himself. 

Xisuma halted in his tracks.    
"It's a demon, for goodness sake!"

"Not all demons are bad! I'm-"

"EX, they’re  _ demons _ ! They kill people!"

EX flinched back, hurt. His face has taken on an increasingly unnatural look - eyes were blank and red, tears gathering at the corners. His fangs were protruding from his mouth, unable to fit anymore.

On the other hand, Xisuma was agitated, not paying attention to the state his brother was in. In jerky movements, he walked up and down in front of EX.    
"Look at what they did to Impulse! Look at what they did to you on Mars! How can you befriend one of them! All his life, Dad has done nothing but to try to rid the world of them! Why would you defend one of them!"

Unable to hold himself together, EX started to sob.    
"But-... X, I'm... h-"

Once again, Xisuma cut him short.    
"Demons aren't people, EX! You shouldn't be close to them!"

"But I'm also a-..."

Once more, Xisuma cut him off, not having any of it.    
"What exactly happened?!"

"I'm... I hid Bartie in my room because I knew Dad wouldn't like him, but VEGA-"

"You  _ went behind Dad’s back? V! _ " Xisuma was beside himself in anger. 

"I just didn't want him to kill Bartie!"

"OUR FATHER IS LITERALLY CALLED THE DOOMSLAYER, V!" Finally, Xisuma was actually shouting, his voice crackling through his helmet. "HE HUNTS DEMONS! HE SWORE HIS WHOLE LIFE PURPOSE TO DEFENDING EARTH FROM THEM! WHY WOULD YOU GO BEHIND HIM LIKE THAT?!"

EX whimpered, making himself small in the corner.    
"But- Bartie, he isn't-"

"LOOK AT HIM, V!" Xisuma pointed over to the Doomslayer, still passed out. "HE'S- DAD IS ILL, V! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO HIM! AND VEGA?! HE'S DOWN BECAUSE THERE ARE DEMONS LOOSE ON THE SHIP, V! I'm- gggrrrrgh!" Xisuma let out a frustrated growl, his eyes glinting harshly behind his visor. His fists were balled up tightly as his head whipped around to the open door. The demon remains had long been turned to ashes.    
"I'm gonna get RID of all these demons, restore the ship’s power and then bring back VEGA. We will finish this conversation later. You-" He pointed to the hermits, who had not dared to say a single word. "Don't. Move. Out of  _ this very room. _ " His whole body language emitted a sense of  _ danger  _ that the hermits felt down to their cores. 

"And you-" He snapped back to EX, voice frosty cold. " _ Stay. _ "

Enraged, Xisuma tore off his blood-smeared helmet and hurled it into the corner of the room, the visor shattering loudly. EX flinched.

"But don't hur-" 

Xisuma harshly stepped over to his brother, snarling, and actually  hissed at him. His face was unnaturally distorted, his eyes a bright fire, and his teeth seemed sharper than usual. Lines were drawn over his face as his skin color had turned... off, somehow. He looked downright frightening.

Evil X flinched back, sheer terror flashing over his face. Not only his expression had slipped, but his whole face structure was distorted. His skin had turned into faceplates that covered his cheeks down to his skin - not unlike the demons that Impulse, Tango and Zedaph had encountered before. EX's teeth were even longer and sharper than before, and the long scar over his face looked nastier than ever. 

Without another word, Xisuma left the room, revving up the chainsaw once more in the process. Zedaph, Impulse and Tango heard it roaring as Xisuma's purpose-driven steps got further and further away.


	14. X goes on a rampage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: gore (seriously)(the doom-typical kind)
> 
> And thank you to N0va again for beta-reading!

Seething, Xisuma marched through the hallways, making short work of every demon that was lunging at him.

Since the chainsaw had run out of fuel again, he had resorted to his netherite sword again. He made his way down a staircase to the next floor, and was promptly met by an Imp lingering in the doorway down into the large room with the mecha. The Imp screeched and pulled back his hands to gather fire, but by then Xisuma had already closed the distance between them and plunged his sword deep through the demon’s chest. Not wanting to wait for the gargling noises to die down, he used his momentum to pin the demon to the floor and crush its neck with a kick of his boots.

Breathing heavily, he looked around.

He couldn't believe his brother! The scowl on Xisuma’s face deepened as he thought about their previous conversation. Did EX not know who their father was? Did he learn nothing from their past encounters with demons in their childhood - many of which had nearly gone wrong? X stopped and touched the prominent scar on his face, thinking of his first encounter with a demon - all the way back when he had still been in Hayden’s lab. His hand balled into a fist. Why did EX not see what those demons truly were - enemies? How could he befriend one of them?

Not to mention their father - the Doomslayer. His sole life’s purpose was to destroy all demons, to protect humanity, to make sure the demons could not escape from hell and invade their dimension anymore. EX knew this, and yet he went behind their father’s back? Xisuma couldn't believe it. Angrily, he took a stab at a Possessed he came across, driving his sword through the demons back and quickly ending it.

He was on his way to VEGA’s main processing core on the castle, hoping to find out whatever was wrong with him there. VEGA's processing room also housed the main power distribution of the ship. If anything had gone wrong with the power, Xisuma hoped it would be there. Fixing the actual power source would be much harder - he would need VEGA for that. His main goal was to reboot VEGA, so he could take care of what was going on with the ship. The room in question was on the same floor as his Dad’s bedroom and the common rooms like the kitchen and bathroom were - he would have to go another floor down. However, Xisuma had not seen many demons on his way so far, they must have gathered up somewhere. Given his luck today, he figured he would run into them sooner or later. So, his first goal had to be somewhere else.

He forced his tired limbs to carry him down another flight of stairs. By now, it was mostly anger that was fueling his body to go on, so he planned on ending all this rather sooner than later. He made his way halfway around the walkways of the large room until he arrived at a smaller door to the left. Before entering, Xisuma stashed away his weapons. He wouldn't need them.

The door was open, as were all doors on the ship. Xisuma knew it was a safety mechanism in case of a power outage, as to not lock anyone in a room. Right now, it was a curse and a blessing - it allowed the demons to roam freely on the station, but it also meant Xisuma had free access to this room. It was small and circular, another storage room. Next to shelves full of old personal items, there were several glass containers at the back of the room. These were what X had set his eyes on. He walked straight over, not hesitating to punch the security code in that opened the middle container. A red glow was greeting him.

Inside the glass container, there was a power-up. It was a demonic skull, with lit-up eyes, surrounded by an aggressively red sphere of energy. The sheer power behind it made it seem like a flame was flickering on top, and it emitted an angry hum - it was something that was more felt than actually heard. Xisuma had no idea how his father had managed to pick up and contain powerups without using them, but they had been locked away in this room since he could remember. The Doomslayer had told them only to ever use them in emergencies. There were other power-ups than the red one - a purple one for quadruple damage, a yellow one that apparently had a similar effect to a speed potion from what Xisuma had heard - but what he really had looked for was this one.

The berserk power-up.

Had Xisuma been any less angry and irritated, he would have hesitated and asked himself if it was really a good idea to use this powerup in his current state.  
Had he been less exhausted, he would have considered the toll it took on a body, and how his dad had always come home extra drained if he had used one of these powerups on one of his missions.  
Had he been less focused on everything that was going on, he probably would have realized what a bad idea this was.

But he wasn’t.

Xisuma just wanted to get all of this over with, so without further ado, he went in and grabbed the powerup.

The skull dispersed with an echoing screech, flooding his system with its power.

_Red filled his vision._

_A heavy, seething haze layered itself over Xisuma’s consciousness, entrancing him, driving him. He barely felt his body doing step after step, with nearly no input from himself. Or was there? He couldn't tell._

_He heard his breath and heartbeat reverberating in his brain. His fists rose by themselves._

_Where was he going?_

_Suddenly, a demon was in his hands. Its head in his right, its shoulder in his left. They were separated. He couldn't hear a sound. He saw himself smashing an Imps skull against the nearest wall._

_He did not register walls, rooms, environment. He saw demons, he saw blood, he saw his next target. His brain was single-minded, driven by the sole task of destroying demons. Another met its end, being torn apart by his bare hands._

_A large demon approached, a Hellknight._

_Suddenly, it was dead on the floor, ribcage spouting blood._

_He did not stay to see it turn to ashes - more demons filled his vision._

_He had no direction, did not pay attention to where he was going - there was only carnage._

_He saw the head of a Zombie to his feet, then looked up to find another in his hand. How did they get there?_

_He stepped through a doorway._

_He tore a demon’s jaw off, the iron smell of blood sinking its teeth into his mind._

_It was invigorating._

_An Imp was ripped into separate pieces._

_He saw his hands move on their own._

_He saw himself punching though another demon._

_His vision was swimming in blood._

_His fist opened, releasing a loose arm._

_His fist closed again._

_His heart was beating._

_His hands drew blood._

_He was tearing._

_There were bones._

_A splinter._

_A crack._

_Another._

_Blood._

_Blood._

_Demons._

_Blood._

_Red._

_Red._

_Red-_

When Xisuma came back to his senses, he had to blink a few times to get some blood out of his eyes and to focus his vision again. Guess that's why the Doomslayer always made sure to wear a helmet. A wave of heavy exhaustion crashed over Xisuma, hitting him like a ravager head-on. He staggered, unable to keep himself on his feet. His arm found a structure to hold himself upright on, and he leaned against it. His thoughts came back from the knot of disjointed stimulations and senses he had been before. The world was spinning around him, and he needed to take a few breaths to calm his stomach and convince his body not to just pass out here and there.

He gripped the doorframe he was holding onto tighter and looked back behind himself. A trail of blood and guts was drawn through the hallway. Xisuma saw demon remains burning up and turning to ashes, dispersing as they usually did. He followed the gory trail with his eyes and ended up, quite obviously, at his own feet. He let out a sigh - more of a silent breath, as he couldn't muster the energy for more. He raised his free hand to look at it - it was crusted in demon blood. He wiped his hand off on his pants, which looked just as bad to be honest so it did him little good, then went ahead and checked himself for injuries - as he was sure his overloaded brain would register wounds far too late in its state.

Luckily, he seemed to only have gained a few minor bruises and scratches on his forearms, or at least as far as he could tell under all the grime and blood covering them. He noticed he was shaking.

His hearing returned to him, and he was alerted to clanking sounds in a room ahead.

Where was he, anyways?

Disoriented, he swiveled around, carefully as to not get more dizzy. He was in a hallway. Directly in front of him were a few steps up, and behind that - VEGA's processing room. He sighed in relief. Xisuma quickly scanned the hallway for more demons, but didn't immediately find any. He wasn't sure if that meant he killed all of them or not, but honestly, there was no way to find out. He assumed most of them had clustered around VEGA’s room as it was also the room where all power was routed through the ship, and these demons liked to search out any power sources they could find. They had probably come out to attack him once they had sensed his approach - but apparently, that hadn't gone well for any of them.

The noises ahead came from VEGA’s room.

Xisuma assumed these were more demons. Not willing to think about the remaining people on this ship, he forced his feet to move, one in front of the other. Now that the berserk state from the powerup had run out, he was exceptionally tired. His limbs felt like lead, and every breath was a huge effort. Nonetheless, he pushed through and summoned his sword from his weapons wheel again. It sagged down in his hand, and the tip grated against the floor as he dragged the sword after his own feet. He couldn’t bring himself to care.

He wrenched his battered body up the small steps, then approached the open door.

The inside of the room was a mess. It also had two demons remaining in it.

The room was circular, with a large pole-like structure in the middle. It descended from the ceiling, then had a bunch of wires connecting it to the floor of the room. Usually, these wires would be glowing brightly blue, but right now, they were dark. Most of them were torn and shredded, hanging down limply and flopping over the floor, some exposing their insides. Electricity was crackling over them. Something had ripped right through the connection between the power source and the rest of the ship - that was the reason for the power blackout.

The rest of the room was mostly intact, save a few torn metal plates or shattered glass screens. The entire outer wall was lined with shelves at the top - they contained all of VEGA’s processors, and backups - and a desk all the way around the back half of the room, reaching up to Xisumas hip. The non-broken screens of the machinery were all blinking red alerts of all sorts. It gave the room an eerie red glow. The Central Computers, just as Oxygen and Gravity and some other vital appliances, were running on an emergency generator located elsewhere on the station. However, Xisuma knew the generator wouldn't run forever, and more importantly - VEGA wasn't considered a 'vital appliance'. Mostly because he was installed into the ship thousands of years after it had been originally constructed, but also because he didn't want to be part of the vital machinery. He knew his processing took a lot of power, and he once explained that he would rather have the backup generators power keep the Doomslayer breathing and alive for a few more hours than burn out quickly while running him, a rebootable AI.

So to reboot VEGA, Xisuma needed to restore the connection to the central power supply.

However, there was another problem in the room.

Two, to be precise. Two demons were still in the room, staring at Xisuma befuddled in the second since he had moved in. They were both Gargoyles - ugly mandibles on their jaw, jagged wings on their back, and long, long blades grafted onto their arms. One of them was idly chewing on the central cables, pulling on them and dragging them out even more than they were already. The other was at the back end of the room. It had ripped off the door to one of the cabinets, and had been rummaging around until it had frozen due to confusion over Xisuma’s entrance.

Most notably, that second Gargoyle was wearing a black patterned scarf around its neck, and a pink shirt. The shirt was torn and had a little cactus printed on it, along with the sentence 'I'm not a hugger.'

Xisuma knew this, because it was his brother’s shirt.

" _Oh EX, what have you done..._ " He whispered, filled with horror. He could only assume this was the demon that EX had been talking about - the one he had befriended, the one he had sheltered, and apparently also clothed.

Then, hell broke loose once more.

Both demons screeched and lunged at Xisuma. Luckily for him, the demon in the shirt - I'm not going to call it 'Bartie', Xisuma thought - had its long arm-blade stuck in the wall behind the cabinet, and was yanked back again. It started to work on getting un-stuck, but that gave Xisuma a precious few more seconds to act.

He prayed that adrenaline would save him despite his tired screaming muscles, and jabbed his sword against the closer gargoyle. He went for a precise blow, not able to afford any missed opportunities or messy fighting. Xisuma knew very well that he was about to die if he even messed up the slightest in his current state. The netherite blade connected, and with a 'shk' it went straight through the demons ribcage. X felt his arms tremble and shake under the effort of driving the sword even deeper, but with a horrible gargle, the demon stilled. It slumped together, losing tension just before its arm-blades managed to reach Xisuma’s face. He quivered, but with a huge amount of mental effort, he convinced his arms to retrieve his sword and vault himself straight over the middle structure, only taking one more step to reach the demon in the pink shirt.

It sensed the danger it was in. Still half jammed into the cupboard, his hissed and spat at Xisuma, tearing loose the arm-blade from where it had been embedded into the wall. Desperately clambering on with its feet, it tried to keep its balance, while Xisuma pulled back with his sword.

There was a split second where he hesitated.

The gruesome arm-blades, the 'I'm not a hugger' shirt, the scarf his brother wore non-stop when they had been 15 - it was all a bit much. Xisuma looked into the gargoyle’s face, and saw nothing but a feral beast, a rabid demon, trying to kill him. Yet... Something made his heart ache. Something about this absurd sight made him hesitate for a second. Hadn't he killed enough? Wasn't his brother also part demon? Guilt crashed over him in just this split second, this blink of an eye, and Xisuma faltered.

His sword swing hit slightly off, slightly to the side. It still caught one of the demon’s arm blades, splintering it off with an ear-shattering sound, the shrill screech of metal on metal. The other arm blade went past his raised arm, past his dropped defenses, and cleanly slashed through his armor. In a split second he decided what to do next - he couldn't bring himself to kill this particular demon, that much was clear. He thought of EX, his crying face, and he just-... He couldn't. So in a hasty decision that would probably be his downfall, he grabbed the open door of the cabinet, slamming the metal shut on the demon with all his force. It yelped and writhed, its neck, leg and a wing caught between the door and the frame, and Xisuma wasted no time. In a fluid motion, he raised his sword and brought it down, jamming it through the metal door of the cabinet and out the bottom on the other side. This was effectively locking the demon in place. It couldn't move its remaining arm blade much, and most of its limbs were jammed behind the cupboard door and held into place by Xisumas sword interlocking with it. X staggered backwards, away from it. The demon hissed and growled and tried to swipe for him, but it was no use. It couldn't even turn its head enough to use its acid spit on him.

Xisuma numbly stepped backwards on autopilot, until his back hit the central part of the room, the main core.

It was only then he felt something off. It wasn't exactly pain - he was probably well past that point - but there was something weird, and the world was pinching together into a single point of interest. He looked down at it. His dirtied armor had new red on it, and it was dripping out from inside this time. The green material had a cut through it, and as Xisuma stared at it for longer and longer, he realized there was a gash right over the right side of his abdomen, drawing from somewhere around his lower ribs in direction of his navel. It was shallow, he thought, and not that long, but still not a good thing. He furrowed his brow. He poked at the wound, watching the skin get redder and redder as his poking caused more blood to come out.

He made the conscious choice to ignore it.

Trying to focus his eyes elsewhere, he looked up at the ceiling, remembering his previous goal. Redirect the power.

Cables.

The cabled were all in sections. If he could pry one off, he would have a point to connect it to again. He slowly clambered onto the main core's bottom part, making sure not to look at all the blood, and stretched his arms carefully to retrieve one of the loosely hanging cables from the ceiling. It took some effort and maybe his full body weight to pull it down, but eventually he had a considerable length of wire to work with. Now, these wires were heavy - nearly as thick as Xisuma's own forearms. They were sectioned off into pieces of maybe 30cm length each, connected with heavy metal rings and screws. The part Xisuma was holding was torn and frayed, with loose metal wires and rubber sticking out at the end, the protective casing shredded. He started fiddling with the next connector piece to get a clean end.

Eventually, after a lot of blood being spread over the wire, he managed to get the part loose. He didn't even hear it clatter to the floor. Neither did he hear the demon, but a quick glance told him it was still there, even accounting for the heavy blur he had in his vision. Straining his muscles one more time, he pulled the wire taut, struggling to extend it enough to reach the bottom part of the core and connect. If he could get at least one of the cables connected... the power would be partially restored... VEGA...

Finally, it clicked into place. Immediately, the cable lit up in a soft, gentle blue, making Xisuma relax. He felt the quiet hum of the castle coming back to life. His hearing was still compromised - his brain was simply too exhausted to take in this many inputs, so it skipped over some of them. He thought he heard a garbled glitchy mess, but he also felt his senses shutting down on him.

Exhausted, Xisuma grabbed on to VEGA's main core, his knees giving in. His body followed suit, flopping against the core and then just slipping down as he let out a tired breath. He slowly let himself slide to the floor, more or less controlled. He was tired... so, so tired. Almost automatically, he raised his hand to his helmet, trying to fiddle with the little hatch at the back. Only then he realized he wasn't wearing his helmet anymore. With blurred vision, he was looking at his hand. Helmet... He vaguely remembered hurling it away in anger. Ah. His helmet, that also had that data chip, containing all the information he needed to help... his dad...

He startled when a tear dropped onto his palm, snapping his eyes back open. Or was it blood? After he had used the berserk powerup, there was no anger left in him. It was like all of it had been used up, and instead he was now filled with a deep, heavy sadness. And exhaustion. His limbs felt like lead, and he was barely aware of his surroundings - was he sitting? Lying? Hazy, he remembered he was still in danger. Oh yeah. Demon. The one trapped in this room with him. He hoped it would stay in place, as he did not have the energy to fight anymore. He stared down at his hands, red with blood. Some was his, some was the demons’. Mostly the demons’. His own blood was... well, currently dripping to the floor at an alarming rate. The wound on his abdomen had not yet stilled bleeding - maybe that's why he was feeling so lightheaded? He sighed, absent-mindedly smearing through the blood on the floor with his fingers. It was drawing lines on the metal floor of the castle.

He described a circle.

Then another.

Couldn't he just sit here for a few more minutes?

His eyelids felt heavy, and were in danger of drooping down again.

What if he just rested for a little bit? Just a while?

He shivered. Was it getting colder? Xisuma slightly raised his head to look up - the world followed a moment later in a slurred spiral. He didn't feel his hands, but he managed to gather up his limbs from the floor and get back to his feet by propping himself up on the central piece of VEGA’s core. With swaying steps, he made his way to the side of the room. Blearily, he stared at the consoles - his brain didn't make sense of any of them. He knew he had to re-route VEGA’s power supply and restart the whole system, but he wouldn't even know where to begin looking to get VEGA back up and running. He could barely register objects in his way, how was he supposed to look at words on a screen?

Instead, he lifted a hand. At the fifth attempt, his heavy arms managed to lodge his fingers behind one of the bent metal casing plates covering the lower part of the desk-like structure in the room. It had been distorted by the demons, so there was a subtle gap. He wiggled his fingers slightly, nearly slipping off the metal because they were still slick with blood. He managed to sink his fingers down behind the plating a little deeper, and finally, Xisuma leaned backwards, using his weight as leverage to remove the plating from its place.

The metal piece clattered to the floor with a horrible noise. The space behind it was filled with cables and wires - but it was about a meter high, and enough space for even a man Xisuma’s size to cram himself into. Heavily leaning onto the desk for support, he let himself fall into the tight space and tucked his legs in under great effort.

This would at least offer him some protection and shelter from the demons, hide him from their sight. If there were even any left on the Castle. Not counting the one with EX's clothes, of course. The one that was in the room right there with him. The one that had slashed him with its blade arms.

Right.

Clutching the injury on his mid-section, Xisuma let out a shaky breath. He could feel his body shutting down on him. Maybe... Maybe if he just rested for a little while, he could take care of VEGA afterwards? Just a few minutes should be fine. He knew this was a dangerous game - but he was just... fatigued.

After a full day on the Hermitcraft-server, he had come home in the evening, went to Mars, fought demons all night, carried his brother for a considerable amount of time, traveled home via unfiltered argent energy running through his veins, learned his brother and father had a fight and his brother was sheltering a demon, AND that his hermits had somehow set loose all the demons from the demon prison on the ship, learned that ALSO VEGA had been shut down by said demons, then had to fight his way through the demons to get here, using an extremely dangerous and draining power up - it had been a long, long day and night for him.

No wonder his limbs were so tired, his muscles so sore. Including his physical injuries as well, it was a wonder he had been able to keep up as long as this. But now that his anger had faded, the berserk power-up dispersed, it had made room for a bone-deep exhaustion that Xisuma had not felt in a long, long while. It wasn't like he wanted to rest - but his body literally refused to take him another step, and the world kept spinning and spinning around him whenever he just moved his head slightly. He felt nauseous. His head slowly sank down, until he was fairly certain it must now be resting on his knees. It's not like he was entirely sure, all of his senses had become a blur at this point.

He felt his breath leaving him.

Breathe in... Breathe out...

A dull sense of danger was tingling in his mind, blaring alarm bells, but it was muted and distant, as if through a thick fog.

It was becoming hard to even think. Soft, gentle darkness was gnawing at the edges of his consciousness, inviting, threatening to take him over. Xisuma tried to resist. He was in danger, his family was in danger, his friends were in danger. He needed to help! With every passing second, it became harder to even muster the idea of getting up. Exhaustion numbed his limbs, paralyzed his body.

The whole world was a blur, spinning wildly...

How easy it was for Xisuma to finally give in and feel his mind slip away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	15. Impulse and EX talk about shared experiences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big Thank you to Nova and Dawn for beta-reading! This chapter was a mess beforehand lmao
> 
> cw: description of whats pretty much a panic attack near the beginning

Tango and Zedaph shared a look between them. None of the hermits had dared to say anything since Xisuma left the room, after yelling at them. His helmet laid abandoned in the corner, glass shards of the visor scattered around it. The only sounds filling the room was the heavy breathing of The Doomslayer, who was shivering in his fever-induced half-sleep, and EX sitting in the opposite corner. He had his head hidden behind his knees and arms, and was trembling. Despite his best efforts to stifle and muffle his sobs, they were still clearly audible. His face had taken on clearly non-human features, and none of the hermits knew what to make of it.

Impulse was slouched on the floor, back leaning against the wall. He had his eyes closed, focusing on his breathing and trying to cope with the dull waves of pain his leg was sending through him again and again. Once more, he tied the bandage a little tighter in hopes of alleviating some of the strain. It didn't help.

There was a deafening silence in the room. None of the people present dared to say anything. Impulse had a knot of dread stuck in his throat, a whole tangle of unaddressed emotions. His chest felt tight and heavy, and Xisuma's words still ghosted around in his head - especially his comments about demons. It had hurt. Technically, Impulse knew they hadn't been meant for him. Technically, he knew Xisuma was solely talking about the fiendish demons of this dimension. Yet, Impulse still had felt a stab through his heart, simply by hearing the name of his species said with so much disdain and anger behind it. He was aware Xisuma didn't mean him specifically... But his head couldn't stop wrapping itself around his admin's words, repeating them over and over. It was choking.

With his head hung low, Impulse looked at the rest of Team ZIT. The world was wavering around him slightly, making him dizzier than he already was, but he tried to focus on Tango’s face instead.

Tango was fidgeting, nervous. His dimming eyes rushed from the open door, to Zedaph, over to The Slayer, and then back to the floor in front of him, not sure where to look and what to focus on. His face was full of guilt. Impulse felt the same way. They had brought Zedaph over here, brought him in danger - Xisuma was entirely right. Both he and Tango had been childish and irresponsible about this, treating it as a fun day trip to space rather than a serious situation. Dang it, Xisuma hadn’t even wanted either of them to come in the first place! The fact that their admin had been completely right with his accusations made the guilt in Impulse’s chest weigh even heavier.

It was accompanied by fear. Xisuma had been... terrifying. Impulse’s eyes wandered to X's abandoned helmet again, lingering on it. He wouldn't forget the dread he had felt when Xisuma had yelled at them anytime soon. To see someone angry was upsetting enough - but Xisuma! Xisuma, sweet, gentle, always encouraging. Always considerate. Always mindful of his friends, always keeping tabs on everything. Xisuma, who giggled and laughed when he made his trolly jokes, who could tell the derpiest things with a completely straight face. This very same Xisuma? Was the angry, tall man they had just witnessed really that very same person? With these frightening, glowing eyes? With his face, warped and sharp and full of weird angles? With his angry movements, the strength hidden behind his gestures? It was hard to comprehend.

Zedaph seemed to have trouble processing as well. He was completely silent, frozen to the spot. The blonde man had crammed himself into the far corner of the room, making himself as small as possible, curled up and cowering on the floor. His eyes were open wide, staring at the open door, unblinking. Impulse knew this behavior. Zedaph, being part sheep, had a very strong fight or flight response to danger - and right now, he had no way to escape, so he would try to hide in fear and make himself as invisible as possible. It was hard to snap him out of it once he was terrified by something this badly. Impulse could see him breathing rapidly, and he had no doubt Zedaph’s pulse was running a marathon right now.

He didn't want to startle him, but he had to do.... something. So Impulse shuffled over, scooting along over the floor until he was within arms reach of Zedaph.   
“Hey, Zed?” He kept his voice quiet. Zedaph didn’t react to him. Impulse moved slowly, trying not to make him jump but catch his eyes. He tapped on the floor next to him, trying to get his attention. It didn’t work either. Unsure, Impulse furrowed his brows. He then gently put his hand on Zedaph’s arm. "Zed?" He asked again, as softly as possible.

Despite his carefulness, Zedaph startled terribly, flinching back and making Impulse jump in surprise as well. He had expected this, but it was still jarring to see Zed's eyes shoot around with a panicked look in them, before ending up at Impulse’s face, then Tango’s. A reassuring nod from Impulse seemed to help to calm Zedaph down. His hand was still on his arm.

When Impulse wanted to retrieve his arm, he was suddenly stopped by Zedaph grabbing it and holding onto it. He didn’t look him in the eyes, but Impulse understood his request. He pulled Zedaph closer, wary of his own injured leg, and tenderly wrapped him in his arms. Zed hugged him back, arms meekly reaching over Impulse’s back and face pressing into his chest so hard that Impulse could feel him breathe. He felt Zedaph relax slightly, and waited until his breathing calmed down somewhat, soothingly rubbing his back.

Impulse was slightly startled when he felt another set of arms join in the hug. He glanced over to the side and saw Tango nervously trying to wrap his arms around the both of them, gently ruffling through Zedaph’s hair. Impulse smiled secretly. Tango unwound himself first, too anxious to stay in place too long.

"Well. That was..." Impulse finally heard Zedaph's voice. He patted his back once more, then unwrapped himself out of the hug, slouching back against the wall. He saw EX quickly looking away.

"...Yeah." Tango agreed, not finding the words for more. He rubbed his mechanical eyes.

"What-... What now? Do we stay in here like he asked us to?" Zed took a sharp breath and sat down on the floor, next to Impulse. His voice was a little more squeaky than usual. Impulse could see Zed’s hands shake, despite the way he interlocked them and tried to hide them in his lap. Zed’s eyes wandered over EX, uncomfortable. They all paused when they heard noises in the distance, demonic screeching and angry footsteps. They settled down again after a few seconds. Zed looked at the others, shoulders pulled up tensely.   
"What was up with Xisuma's face? He was.... scary." He asked, more gently.

"Yeah, he got all weird and angryficated..." Tango said, but his tone was lackluster. He let himself fall to the floor next to his two best friends. "Just like..." His eyes fell onto Impulse, giving him a small nod. Impulse noticed the machinery in his eyes constantly trying to adjust to the low light levels, but the subtle movements of the cogs were sluggish and were taking a long while.

"Like me? You mean when I become more demon-y?" Impulse asked, voice tired. EX seemed to perk up at his words and was now not so discreetly watching them, albeit his face was still wet with tears.

"Yeah. Like he lost control."

"Evil Xisuma as well." Zed mentioned, making EX flinch and bury his head again. "Hey man, are you alright? You look pretty beat up."

It was true. EX had blood all over him, mostly on his shoulder and down his arm. It was sporting several nasty looking wounds. Not to mention the bandage around his head - Impulse knew head injuries were no joke, and could have all sorts of side effects.

"'Ts fine," EX muttered. After a second, he looked up again. "More worried about X."

"X? He looked... well, not _fine_ per se, but he wasn't much injured, was he?" Tango wondered.

Worry crinkled Impulse’s brows. If only he wouldn't be so tired and loopy...

"He's exhausted." EX quietly stated, still not looking at them. "Had to carry me for a long way on Mars. Fought many... enemies. It's not good when he's angry." A shiver ran over his body. Finally, after a moment of silence, he looked up to the hermits again. "He's not fine. He's taking all of it on his shoulders." EX's voice was raspy and quiet enough to nearly miss. "I don't think even he...."

Tango and Zedaph shared a look, then simultaneously got back to their feet.   
"We're getting X."

Impulse tried to do the same, but struggled as he got to his feet and finally collapsed with a pained shout as he put just a touch of weight on his injured leg. Zedaph carefully helped him back to a sitting position on the floor after catching him in his fall. The world was spinning wildly around him due to the sudden changes in height.

"You should stay here, Impulse."

"But I… I wanna help too!” Impulse struggled to get his words out coherently, trying to suppress nausea that was threatening to climb up his throat from getting up too quickly. This was more important. “I can't leave Xisuma like that!"

"That's why we're getting him. Jeez, Impulse, you can't even _stand_. We'll be fine, trust me." Tango pulled out his sword, then looked over to EX. "Hey man, do you have any weapons like the one X used earlier to kill that demon?"

EX spared a glance at the door where said demon had met its end, and then back to Tango. "The chainsaw? No, but I have other weapons."

A minute later, Zedaph was equipped with the Combat Shotgun, while Tango was carrying the Ballista weapon EX had held. They had quite the squabble about it until Impulse pointed out that Tango's eyes were running low on power. They eventually decided he could have the laser beam weapon as he would see the shot very well in the dark, and Zedaph begrudgingly agreed. Tango was joyous. In the far distance, they had heard the sounds of a viciously ongoing battle for a while, but they couldn't make out much more than dull thuds and demons howling and gargling. It had gone deadly quiet since then - it was hard to tell if that was a good sign or not.

"Alright, we'll look for X." Tango said, already moving to the door. None of them liked the way the castle had fallen silent. Zedaph spared a last glance to the Doomslayer - almost as if wordlessly asking for safety - then followed him.

"Take care!" Impulse said empathetically, before his two friends were swallowed by the darkness outside of the open door. He sighed, all forced cheer dropping from his face before settling down on the floor once more. He was more than tired.

The room sank into silence again, Tango and Zed’s footsteps fading away. They were walking slowly, and carefully.

For a while after that, Impulse heard nothing, and as the minutes passed he grew even more exhausted. It had been a long day, and had it not been for his leg throbbing in pain he would have fallen asleep right there. Oh, and the danger of demons on the ship. Other than himself. He took a glance over to EX, who was crouching near his father again. He kept his distance, not daring to touch him - but he was muttering something, under his breath. An apology? His face had slightly relaxed again, and even though he still seemed upset and full of sorrow, the skin of his face was slowly returning normal again. It made Impulse wonder. EX was clearly not entirely human - that much was sure. Neither was Xisuma, apparently, if _his_ face from earlier was anything to go by. The memory made Impulse shudder. He wondered if it worked similar to himself - able to take on a human appearance, but would slip up and return to his normal state when he lost his composure? Or were the human forms their 'normal', and they were transforming when they experienced strong emotions?

He didn't know how to ask about it though, so he just watched him in uncomfortable silence.

The presence of The Doomslayer made Impulse uneasy. He couldn't quite put his fingers on it - something about the man just unnerved him. Even though he was trembling on the floor, curling up into a tight ball as if he sought protection from the world around him - Impulse still had this urge to run, to keep away from him. He didn’t know why, especially since this was Xisuma's father. Maybe the red demon gore growing on his arm was putting him off?

Impulse wasn’t sure. He decided not to look into it too much.

After a few seconds, the lights flickered back on, albeit dim.

The door finally closed.

Impulse looked up from his spot, and so did EX.

"...VEGA?" The white-haired man asked, tentatively.

The speakers in the room crackled and spat out feedback noise, making them both flinch, then started to emit a horrible garbled static noise that made Impulse draw a grimace. It drowned out any attempt at conversation, let alone any coherent thought in the first place. The sound lasted for nearly a minute before it was abruptly cut off.

"Well, that can't be good." Impulse said lightly, trying to lift the mood despite the rising sense of anxiety in his chest.

"No." EX agreed after a pause.

Impulse wasn't sure where to go from here, so he fell into silence again.

EX shifted, and moved away from the Slayer to his spot on the opposite wall again. He seemed to relax slightly now that the door was closed, and started to try and undo his armor, despite his movements being sluggish. With great effort and a few slips of his fingers, he unclipped the clasps on his shoulder pads and chestplate and slowly started wiggling his way out of them.

Impulse watched him for a bit. "Are you okay?"

EX stopped, staring at him deadpan. The dim light really brought out the dark bags under his reddened eyes, the blood crusted on his face with tear streaks through it, the nasty wound on his shoulder and the general state of him.

" _Peachy_." He answered.

"I-..." Impulse couldn't help but snort in amusement. "Ok, yeah, dumb question. How are you?" He didn't know Evil X all too well, so he wasn't sure what level of playfulness to try and cheer him up was okay. He just wanted to talk with someone after... well, after being yelled at by Xisuma.

EX gave him a very long, very judgmental glance.   
"My head hurts, my shoulder hurts, I'm dizzy as hell and it feels like I'm not in control of my senses." He finally muttered, starting to slip out of his gloves. "But I'll survive."

"What about the fight you guys had?" Impulse asked him. He tried to be gentle about it, but there really was no nicer way to put it, and EX's face immediately turned into an expression of heavy guilt.

"... I'm-" EX froze, then turned his back to the hermit. "He won't want to see me again."

"Come on man, I know Xisuma." Impulse immediately tried again to raise his spirits. "Once he calms down, I'm sure he will talk to you and forgive you. He's not the type to hold grudges."

"You don't understand." EX laid down both of his gloves, now only in his long-sleeved black undershirt. He carefully crossed his legs underneath him, laid his hands in his lap, and then looked up to Impulse. Impulse could sense the deep desperation in his voice and eyes. "He's...."

He sighed, burying his head in his hands. "He said the same things to me that Dad told me just yesterday. 'Demons aren't people, EX' and 'Demons kill and destroy' and 'I need to kill all the demons!'"

"Xisuma didn't say tha-..."

"But he was _thinking it!_ " EX was quite obviously near tears again. "He was thinking it, and Dad was also thinking it! And-... I know that they don't... I know they're not thinking of it, probably, but it _hurts_! Because _I'm_ part demon!"

Impulse’s face softened, and he carefully crawled over to EX, sitting down and leaning against the wall about a meter away from him.   
"Hey, if it's any consolation, so am I."

EX froze, so confused the tears stopped spilling from his eyes.  
"... What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"I'm also part demon. Well, full demon actually."

Panicked, EX's head whipped around to the Doomslayer - who was still curled up across the room from them, shivering - and then back to Impulse, eyes wide.   
"Y-... You are?"

"Yeap."

EX kept staring at him wide-eyed. It reminded Impulse of Keralis, only that EX was a lot muddier and bloodier currently, and that his eyes were a deep red with a magenta tint. Instead of an iris, they had a glowy center. It was mildly unsettling, especially with how similar it looked to the demons Impulse and the others had encountered earlier, but Impulse just smiled at him encouragingly.

"I-.... I don't believe it. You're just saying that to make me feel better, because y’all are like that." EX growled after a short pause, suddenly getting defensive. He curled up some more, glaring at Impulse.

"What?"

"You're saying that because, oh, you're all such nice people, you take pity on me just like Xi-"

"Come on dude, you don't know me." Impulse tried to interrupt him before EX could spiral any further. "Here, let me show you."

Impulse brushed back his hair from his forehead, then held out his hand. With a long exhale, he dropped his human disguise, relaxing. His body slowly changed. The skin became dark and charred, almost black in places. It turned brittle and rough, the appearance not unlike coal. Impulse’s hands grew, the fingers turning into strong, sharp claws. He could have grabbed EX's head with one hand. The sclera of his eyes went dark, making the golden iris stand out even more as it changed shape. His horns grew slowly from his forehead, large and arched backwards. Hints of gold were drawing lines over the black skin on his horns and arms, glittering and glimmering in this dim light. He stopped the transformation before it went too far.

He saw that EX was staring at him, fascinated.   
"You see?" Impulse asked softly, voice still kind and soothing. He clenched and unclenched his big clawed hands once, then settled back down on the floor, as he was still dizzy. Transforming didn't exactly drain his energy - his human appearance was just something he could set his mind to. He needed to focus on it somewhat, but he had gotten so used to it it was no different than walking. Impulse nodded once, then slipped back into his human appearance.

EX was stunned, Impulse could tell. He had taken in every detail of Impulse's demon form - the big claws, the sharp teeth, the weird eyes. He slowly looked down onto his own hands, then glanced back to Impulse.

"Huh." He simply said.

Impulse waited for a bit, wondering if he would add any further commentary on the matter.

EX didn't, instead staring blankly at his own hands. He was probably imagining them as demon claws, judging by his half scared, half thoughtful expression. At least he wasn't actively panicking anymore, Impulse thought to himself.

The awkward silence was dragging on longer and longer, so Impulse decided to ask one of the many questions he still had.

"You said you're part demon, right? Is Xisuma also part demon then? He had these yellow glowy eyes and turned all.... weird earlier." He didn't know how else to describe it.

"Ah, I see... well, not exactly.” EX set aside the parts of armor he had unclasped from his body. "We are... well, this may sound weird, but we were created. Technically, both of us are clones. Hay-... A... uhm, a _scientist_ once took the DNA of the Doomslayer-" EX gestured over to his father with one hand, who was still curled up and shaking. "-and he created clones of him, to have his own perfect little soldiers."

There was such an amount of disdain and badly suppressed anger in his voice, Impulse didn't dare to interrupt him. He wondered if he should know all this about their admin. A deep sadness grabbed his heart, not sure if he wanted to hear what X and EX had to go through as children. He listened anyway.

"He combined the DNA of the Slayer with other species, to make the clones stronger." EX was talking fast now. Impulse was sure he wouldn't have shared any of this if he hadn't been this upset and half-delirious from his head injuries.   
"He added demon DNA, and that created me. It... It makes me stronger than a normal human, physically, and it especially shows when I get scared." He obviously had a hard time admitting this, eyes trained firmly to the ground.   
"Xisuma is... he is part Makyr - that is a different species from a planet called Urdak. I guess it's what you would call an alien? Anyways, dad eventually rescued us and raised us here on the Fortress of Doom, together with VEGA."

Impulse tilted his head. That was... a lot to take in.

"Dad never said anything, but I think he was always wary of me." EX continued, his voice just a whisper.   
"It's true - his whole life purpose is killing demons, so why would he adopt one? Why hasn't he gotten rid of me? Does he really like me, or does he secretly despise me? I could never tell. So when I made friends with a demon... and he got so angry with me..." EX trailed off, burying his head behind his knees and arms again.

"Oh man... That must be rough." Impulse said, empathetically. He really didn't know how to reply to all that. He felt bad for EX now - getting yelled at by his own brother after doubting himself for his own heritage anyways must be horrible.

"...It is," EX admitted quietly. "It is, and X-... he, I don't think he realizes."

"Ah..." Impulse shifted, suddenly uncomfortable, not sure what to say. "I'm... I'm sure Xisuma will forgive you once he calms down.”

EX only gave him a small shrug, not looking convinced at all. He then shuffled and started peeling himself out of his shirt. The man pulled several grimaces during the process, and it seemed to stick to his wounds, especially on the shoulder area. Finally, he pulled the black fabric gingerly off and over his head, taking a few more moments to untangle his long hair from it. With a sigh, he set the shirt down next to him.

Impulse wasn't one to stare, but EX's upper body looked.... bad. He spotted a large bruised area on his side, as if he had fallen or been dragged over the floor. They seemed fresh. So did the wounds on his shoulder - Impulse now saw they were arranged in a half-circle, looking like a very large bite mark, going both over his front and back side. Other than that, his torso was littered in scabbed wounds, layering over old scars. Most notably, several long cuts and gashes. Nothing lethal - but they painted a worrying picture. They looked a day or two old at least, and some were crudely bandaged. Impulse realized it as most definitely the work of someone who did not, in fact, ask anyone for help with bandaging their own injuries.

Grimacing, Impulse pointed to the slightly older injuries.   
"What's that all about?"

EX turned his view downwards, inspecting his battered body. He let out a defeated, tired sigh.   
"It's nothing, really."

"Come on, dude." Impulse found himself picking at the makeshift bandage around his own leg, then forced himself to leave it alone.

His comment earned him another heavy sigh from EX.   
"It's fine, really! It's not a big thing or anything. Bartie just got a little excited..."

Impulse drew a face. Bartie... having heard the name earlier in conversation, he was quite sure that was a demon. And, judging by EX's wounds, he did a little more than simply 'get excited'. He didn't seem one bit as friendly as EX had claimed.

"Bartie? That's... the uh, demon Xisuma got so upset about, right?"

EX's face dropped.

"It's okay." Impulse hurriedly tried to reassure him. "I won't judge you, man. Tell me about it. I mean, we don't have anything to do but to wait, right? I can't walk and you're even worse off than me."

"'Spose you're right," EX muttered. He started using his discarded shirt to dab and wipe at the crusted blood on his shoulder, wincing as he did.   
"Bartie... I named him Bartholomew. He's very cute, you should see him."

Somehow, Impulse doubted that, based on the severe injuries this 'cute' demon had inflicted on EX in the recent past, but said nothing. He just hoped Tango and Zed would be fine by themselves...

EX continued on his own. "I hid him in my room for the past two or three days now. I asked VEGA not to tell dad... But he went behind my back. It's... It's not his fault, I think he's programmed to be loyal...And he very much is Dad's partner, so he doesn't owe anything to me. I'm not mad at VEGA, he's just doing his job. But Dad..." He glanced over to the Doomslayer again, once more trailing off.

Impulse tried to piece together the clues.   
"He wasn't happy about Bartie, I assume?"

"...No."

"Was it worse than Xisuma?"

"...In its own way, yes. No. I don't know, I can't... I can't tell."

"Ok, yeah, sorry."

They fell silent for a while, not sure what else to say.

Impulse picked at his leg again. Pain was still searing through it, but as long as he didn't move it was... bearable. Now that they had a moment of calm, it all came back crashing into him - he was exhausted to no end, he was hungry since he hadn't eaten anything since before they had come to the Fortress of Doom, and it wasn't exactly warm in the airlock room either - his torn T-Shirt and Cargo shorts didn't do much for him. Trying to distract himself from it, he wrapped his arms around himself, blinking heavily a few times.

He tried to come up with a conversation topic again, but failed.

However, this time EX approached him, seemingly just as lonely and desperate for any kind of distraction.

“Any other of you fools demons?” He muttered, barely audible. He had finally set aside his blood-soaked shirt and shivered, carefully wrapping his arms around himself as well.

“The Hermits? Well, we don’t have any other demons I don’t think… But there are plenty of non-humans.”

“Really?”

"Yeah, in fact, a lot of the Hermits are not human. You know Zed - he's part sheep! He has hooves and horns!"

"Just like Wormman!" Ex nodded eagerly, soaking up Impulse’s words.

"Just like-... Yeah. Yes." Impulse scratched his head where his horns had mellowed into little nubs now that he had taken on his human appearance.   
"Anyways, yeah, I’m the only demon on Hermitcraft. I think the demons here..." He waved around the room. "...are different from my home. I come from a realm full of demons, and we have countries and cities and civilizations."

Impulse noticed that EX was practically soaking up every word of his, so he kept talking a little. Anything to calm him down and distract him (and Impulse himself) from how Xisuma had left them would be good for the injured man.

"We demons live in our realm, but we can be summoned by others through specific rituals. Usually that ends up in a deal, where we do a task for the summoner, and take something from them as a payment - what that is is left up to the demon. Personally, I used to quite like the shinies and richeties - but since I came to Hermitcraft, I prefer to get them through hard work rather than exploiting deals with summoners."

"Can you still be... summoned? Could you disappear right in front of my eyes?"

"Ah, hm." Impulse gave him a bit of a sheepish grin. "Kinda gave that up. Besides the fact that we still have to agree to being summoned for the process to work, we can only be summoned from our home realm. And I... well, I kind of haven't gone back since Tango brought me over." His voice turned gentle at the memories.

"Tango with the red eyes?" EX glanced over to the door and then back.

"Yeah! He's one of my best friends. I found him in our realm once - he claimed he was travelling, but I think he just got lost and got into things over his head." Impulse slightly shook his head, chuckling. "I gave him shelter for a while, and we became good friends. He showed me redstone for the first time, and I had a lot of fun engineering things with it. We learned a lot from each other, actually!"

"Ah, sounds like fun times..." Ex muttered, sounding melancholic.

"I continued tinkering with stuff even after he left. When Tango went back to wherever he came from, I had left him with a way to summon me if he ever wanted to - and he did, only a few months later. It was to work on a witch farm with him, Xisuma and Mumbo... but I think he actually just missed me." Impulse smiled broadly, the feelings quite obviously mutual. "That's how I came onto Hermitcraft. I just... never left since then." He chuckled.

EX smiled oddly. "Bloody Hermits." He muttered, but it didn't really sound like a curse at all, more like a fond memory.

"You're... not very evil today, are you?" Impulse asked, lightly teasing him.

EX snorted, lifting up his fingers as he counted. "Well, not much energy left for being evil when you got slammed into a wall twice, got your shoulder mangled by a Cacodemon, and messed up every chance at a family reunion with your father and brother."

Impulse chuckled, despite the uncomfortable topic. “That’s fair.”


	16. The Slayer misses his common sense

The Slayer twitched where he was laid on the ground, his fingernails digging into his side with a forceful grip. He had been fading in and out of consciousness, barely aware of what was happening around him. He was feverish, his skin unbearably hot, sweat pouring down. His muscles were clenching up, his whole body constantly under strain. He felt his right arm twitch involuntarily on occasion, and he did not like it one bit. It felt like it was separate from his body by this point. From the elbow down, he had lost all feeling in it, and the numbness was creeping up his biceps as the tendrils of the demonic growth spread further. His shoulder, chest and half his face felt like needles and teeth were piercing the skin relentlessly, making every movement hurt. He had lost vision in his right eye due to it being overgrown with flesh now - not that he saw much with his eyes squeezed shut in pain all the time. While the rest of his body felt hot like it was melting, the side covered by the demon infestation didn't feel much like anything at all. It was disorienting. His head grated against the cold floor whenever he shifted.

The Slayer was not making much sense of the inputs he was getting, too sick to process anything he heard or saw. There had been a lot of conversation going on, but barely anything had made it through his ears to his brain. He had heard Xisuma, his son, yelling and raising his voice, and there was currently a hushed conversation between EX and one of the boys Xisuma had brought over.

It was driving him mad.

His instincts were running wild, telling him to act, telling him to do something. He wasn't quite sure what it was - but he had this overwhelming itch, this restlessness, this urge to get up and rip and tear like he usually did, to be violent, to dig his fingers into a skull and crush it, to splatter a ribcage against the floor with all his force.

The Slayer was uneased by his own thoughts, distraught even. To feel some sort of relief, he exerted more force with his hand on his left arm, curling his fingers, digging them into the skin of his side until he was sure it would bruise. The pain from it helped to ground him, give him something to focus on other than the unbearable heat. Other than the constant piercing pain on his other shoulder. Other than the feeling of his skin being pulled taut and bubbling up as the demonic growth on him slowly progressed. 

It made him feel something. 

Nonetheless, he was still slipping. He tried to listen to the words that were being spoken in the room, but the voices didn't quite register in his brain, not familiar enough, not comforting enough. The Slayer clenched his hand into his side even harder. He tried to breathe, air getting stuck somewhere in his throat. 

He heard the word 'demon' a lot, and at some point, it became his sole focus, drowning out all other words of the conversation.

Demon.

Memories flashed through his vision - the red hazes of hell. Masses of demons, crawling over every imaginable surface. Bright red, orange lava biting into his eyes, heatwaves radiating from everywhere around him.

Demons, fighting each other, killing their brethren.

Demons, looking up at him as they notice him.

_ Demons, scared of him, rightfully so, terrified. _

Demons, as they rush towards him, come for him, despite knowing it was futile.

_ Demons. _

_ Both of them were demons. _

No, that wasn't right. EX wasn't a demon - he just had part demon DNA, he was human otherwise. The slayer squeezed his eyes in confusion, feeling sweat pour over his forehead. 

_ Demons. Both of them. Dangerous. _

The Slayer frowned at his own senses, telling him to kill. That didn't seem right.

_ Danger. Demon. Kill. _

No, he thought. This isn't right. This wasn't what he was looking for. These were not his prey.

_ Prey? _

Since when did he think of demons as prey? They were the enemy. They were a threat that needed to be eliminated.

_ In this room. Kill. _

The Doomslayer dug his fingernails deeper into his side, curling away from the other two men even more. He trembled under the rising effort of resisting what his senses and instinct were telling him. Usually, he would trust his instincts. Usually, they were right.

But today, they weren't.

He tried to focus on his breathing, on the way his chest strained with every inhale, tried to focus on the places where his body touched the ground - anything else than the presence of the two  _ demons _ in the room with him. 

People, he tried to argue again. 

_ Demons _ , his senses told him. 

The Slayer shuddered. He suddenly felt very lonely. Where were his sons? Were they not here? Even worse, where was VEGA? His presence was still missing from the Slayer's surroundings, leaving him cold and empty. There was a knot in the Slayer's chest somewhere, hurting. Was he injured? VEGA would know. VEGA always knew. He was the one knowing things, telling him where to go without ever giving commands or orders. He was the one analyzing, making sense of things, piecing the bits of info the Slayer always got together. He was the one taking care, remembering things, making sure everything was working. He was the one taking care of the Slayer, reminding him he was not just a demon-killing machine, talking to him. He was the one making him laugh, lifting his mood. He was the one always there for him. 

Where was he now? The Slayer reached out, his fingers curling weakly over the floor. 

He suddenly bristled as he caught onto something of his earlier thought process.

One of his sons was, in fact, here. In this very room.

_ And I need to get rid of this demon.  _

Unwilling, The Slayer weakly moved his head as if to shake it no. This was all so wrong! So twisted and warped!

He allowed his mind to wander further, if not only to distract himself from the conflicting feelings that had torn him apart from the inside for a long time now. When he had first approached Xiusma's boys in the hallways - he had noticed one of them wasn't human, but his instincts hadn't urged him to do something about the demon boy like this. Back then, he had not seen him as a threat. Not seen him as  _ prey _ . What was so different now? 

He didn't know. He just knew, that  _ something  _ was telling him to get rid of him, get rid of that demon,  _ get rid of both demons here _ -

No, no! One of them was his son! Both of them were normal people! Angry and frustrated with himself, the Slayer let out a huff, biting his own tongue just so the thoughts would stop. 

What would VEGA say if he saw him like this right now!

VEGA.... Helpful VEGA. Kind, gentle VEGA. The Slayer wasn't sure if he was projecting because he had been so lonely for such a long time, but VEGA was the only genuine personal connection he had had before he found the boys when they were little. 

He forced himself to think of the first day he had met VEGA, forced himself to think of something nice to ignore the seething, burning feeling scorching his stomach, the sweat that glistened on his skin and the sickness he felt inside of his body. The first day he had met VEGA. It had been on that Mars base, after waking from a 2000 year long slumber.... coma? He wasn't sure. He remembered his anger, his rage as he saw that the UAC had caused yet another demon invasion despite his own best efforts to save humanity again and again. Despite his sacrifices, despite his crusade in hell - humans had once again managed to fuck things up and have hell invade their dimension, and he had immediately known it was upon him to yet again stop it. Who else would?

It wasn't even as much as 'humans' that allowed it, it was just one or two particular people, one specific CEO of this company... The Slayer had known Hayden was full of shit as soon as he had heard his voice over the comms first. That Hayden was directly responsible for all of this. 

Oh, how soothing VEGA’s voice had been in comparison, always calm, helpful, only stating plain facts and directions instead of the morally questionable excuses Hayden tried to bring. The Slayer had liked VEGA. VEGA had been the first person in a long long time that hadn't tried to manipulate the Slayer to their wishes, to try to take advantage of him, to try and press their own beliefs onto him. He had been the first person in a long time who wasn't scared of him either, cowering in fear, only saying what the Slayer would like to hear. No, VEGA somehow spoke to him on eye level - he acknowledged who the Doomslayer was and how powerful he was without getting unreasonably emotional about it, he was giving him directions without ever using him for his own good. He treated him like a person. Maybe it was because he was an AI, and did not experience emotions like humans did? Either way, the Slayer did not mind one bit that VEGA was an AI. Maybe he even welcomed it - a fresh perspective, a different view on the world. Makyr knows the Slayers view on the world and the universe wasn't exactly human either - it was nice to have someone he could share that with. 

Point was, he liked VEGA. It led to him being incredibly upset when Hayden commanded him to destroy VEGA to get enough energy to go to hell. Of course, the Slayer still did it - but it didn't feel nice. He carried out his mission, as he did, but his heart wept at every coolant filter he destroyed, at every energy source he tore out of VEGA's core. Oh, how relieved he had been when he saw he could take a backup of VEGA with him! He remembered the sudden burst of anger as he took the backup, the realization that Hayden had not in the slightest mentioned that he could even create a backup. Hayden would have let VEGA die. Hayden did, in fact, let VEGA die, his own creation, just like that, with no regard for anything. Sure, the Slayer might have gotten unreasonably attached to an AI, an artificial, programmed being. But... wasn't it still a being? 

Maybe there was something about being created and having powers thrust upon oneself without consent, and being used as a tool because a higher power that made the Slayer take it personal. He did take it personal. He decided to take VEGA with him, and he decided to hold it against Hayden, that Hayden would disregard someone who was so dependent on him, whom he had created himself. 

Oh, how nice it had been to boot VEGA back up, to hear his voice again after the Mars invasion was over and the Slayer had been back in this dimension once again.

Oh, how nice had it been to have company for once. 

Everything was so much easier. Everything was so much brighter and more enjoyable. 

Where was VEGA now? 

They had taken the Fortress of Doom together, and VEGA had gotten comfortable in it, his new home as well as the Slayer's. 

Where was VEGA's presence now?

It was so dark without him, so lonely. 

The Slayer felt something running down his face. Blood? Tears? Sweat? He hadn't cried in a long time, not that he could remember. 

VEGA wasn't here.

Him missing from the castle was like a black hole, consuming the Slayer. He couldn't stand it. He had gotten so used to VEGA...

Or was it just the sickness making him weak, emotional? What about his sons? Weren't they still here? 

Xisuma, kind, a little mischievous. Serious if he had to be. Organized, his thoughts always in order, controlled. The Slayer tried to think of his son... But his mind went blank. He distantly heard Xisuma's voice echo in his head, yelling, loud yet so distant. What had he yelled about? Had he been angry? Why would he be angry? The Slayer had not often seen Xisuma angry, if any. What would make him so angry...? The memory of his son was slipping from his mind, somehow not important. 

No! It is important! The Slayer tried to cling to it. 

Something else bubbled up.

Evil Xisuma. 

The  _ demon _ . Why would that be the first thing associated with him? The Slayer groaned, trying to force the thoughts out of his head. EX, his son. EX, brash, wanting to fit in. EX, clinging to his brother, wanting attention. EX, who chose this name for himself, to replace the one he had been given by Hayden. V. V, his son, asking for hugs and goodnight kisses as a kid. A smile twitched on the Slayer's lips. EX as a kid, happily eating bacon and eggs. EX with his little  _ fangs _ , brushing his teeth. His  _ fangs _ , sinking into the Slayer's skin as an  _ attack _ \- No, they had played. It had been during playtime. Teenage EX, eyes growing  _ red  _ as he got scared,  _ dangerous _ . What was he thinking? EX, his face  _ snarling, eyes glowing, teeth sharp and _ -

The Slayer wanted to bash his head into the floor. 

No!

_ EX, the demon.  _

EX, his son! Whom he had raised and who he loved dearly! Whom he had sworn to protect!

The Slayer let out a feverish huff, his thoughts swimming. Why?

Why now, of all things? 

He had lived with EX for so many years!

It was so hot... The Slayer shifted, pressing his forehead against a cool spot on the metal floor. It only gave him brief relief. However, as he tried to grind his head further into the coolness of the metal below, he accidentally brushed over the floor with a part that was overgrown with demonic flesh. It sent spikes of pain throughout his body, as if someone was pressing their palm into an open wound. His breath hitched, and he inadvertently held it until the pain ebbed down a little. He didn't dare to move again. All of his thoughts had become a blur at this point. 

With nothing else to focus on, the Slayer felt a familiar anger bubble up inside him. The kind of anger that was reserved for demons. 

No, no, he thought. That's not good. 

_ Kill demons. Protect. Kill.  _

No demons to kill, he tried to set his mind to. His instincts told him he was wrong. 

_ Here. Kill _ . 

He tried to tell himself there were no demons... But what about the ones he had seen on the ship? Had these been illusions? Had he dreamt he had torn apart Possessed in the hallways? He wouldn't rule it out. He couldn't trust his own senses anymore. 

_ What about the demons in this very room? Wasn't he gonna kill them? _

No.

He was not.

Stubbornly clenching his jaw, the Slayer locked himself up, tensing every muscle, grinding his fingers into his side until the bruising sensation overpowered his twisted urges and clouded judgement.


	17. Xisuma is dragged out of his hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my Beta-readers Dawn and N0va once again!
> 
> Other than that, enjoy! :)

The first thing Xisuma noticed when he drifted back to his senses were garbled noises coming to his ears. He groaned, not quite there yet. His whole body felt numb and tired, and he so desperately wanted to go back to the comforting darkness all around him. He felt a pull at his shoulder and torso, feeling his world tip sideways. X tried to resist it, but disoriented as he was, the next sensation was his upper body and head sinking onto some sort of floor and his spine being bent at an uncomfortable angle. He was further moved against his will. The cold floor was replaced by something warm and soft, his head resting slightly elevated. He felt his legs being dragged over some sort of ledge, jabbing painfully into the bend of his knees. 

Pain started to creep up, focused on his midsection. Exhaustion seemed to paralyze his limbs, and he tried to keep his eyes shut, wanting to go back to sleep. Back to unconsciousness.    
He couldn't even bring himself to worry about who or what was grabbing and handling him. All senses of danger or safety seemed completely shut off, unable to differentiate. Xisuma realized the noises were becoming more and more clear, some closer to his head, some further away. Some of them seemed to be different voices. He tried his best to ignore them. Unfortunately for him, he very much could not ignore the hand that was patting his cheek and slightly moved his head to get his attention. 

"Xisuma?"

Unwilling, Xisuma ' _ hmm _ '-ed, squeezing his eyes shut tighter. Couldn't they just let him sleep?

"Xisuma! Wake up!"

Xisuma groaned, finally opening his eyes. Two faces were hovering over him, framed by a soft blue light. He could barely make out any details, but they both seemed to have blond hair on top of them. They were talking over each other, and one of the heads ducked out of his field of view. Xisuma became more and more aware, but as he tried his best to compute what was happening there was a sudden pressure on the wound on his side, and he let out a surprised pained noise.

There was more indiscernible talking. Groaning, Xisuma tried to lift his head, but he was shushed and someone started petting his forehead. Confused, he tried to relax. What was happening? He tried to make out the familiar voices. One of them was talking really fast. 

"...sure I put some pressure on the wound. Dangit, I don't like all this blood-lossification."

_ Ah. Must be Tango, then _ . 

"You think it's gonna be fine, Tango?" The second voice answered from above X, now clearly identifiable as Zedaph. Xisuma tried to focus his eyes again, and Zedaphs face became a little less blurry. He was looking up at Zed’s chest, his head apparently resting on his legs. Zedaph was brushing the hair out of Xisuma’s eyes while talking to his friend, while Tango was seemingly trying to tend to the gash on Xisuma’s side.    
It hurt, a lot.    
Xisuma squirmed a little, trying to get away from whatever Tango was doing.

"Shhh, it's okay, we're trying to help you." Zedaph hushed him. He looked down at X, his face warped due to his own worry and Xisuma’s visions general blurriness. 

X could only give a grunt in response, squeezing his eyes shut and forcing himself to stay still while Tango was... Well, doing whatever he was doing. Instead of the pain, he tried to think about something else. 

Which would be all the things he had said to Tango, Zedaph, and Impulse, and, more importantly, his brother. 

Ah,  _ jeez _ .

Guilt dropped deep in Xisuma's stomach, and he was suddenly a lot more awake than before. He looked up at Zedaph out of the corner of his eyes, then quickly looked elsewhere again. Xisuma tried to slink away from them, but unfortunately there wasn't a lot of slinking to do what with his head resting on Zedaph and Tango pressing down on the wound on his stomach. Xisuma shortly considered pretending to be unconscious again. 

"Hey X, I need to take off your armor." Tango warned him, before proceeding anyways. He was struggling to get off the chestplate, tugging on it randomly and jostling his bruised body, causing Xisuma to whine. 

"Sorry, sorry." Tango apologized, taking his hands off the armor. "But I need to put something on that wound."

"Mhn.... Latches..." Xisuma muttered, pathetically trying to raise his hand to where the armor was fastened, under his shoulder pads. His hand was caught by Zedaph mid-movement.

"Got you, we'll take care of it." Zed reassured him, starting to work on removing the shoulder pads and unclipping the chestplate.

Xisuma zoned out while they were working, their low talking just background noise, the pain fading in and out of his consciousness. 

_‘Demons aren't people, EX! You shouldn't be close to them!’_ _  
_ Xisuma felt his heart ache as his own words bubbled up in his memory. What had he been thinking?! 'Demons aren't people'? To his own brother - part demon? A deep shame crept up in X's chest.   
‘ _Our father is literally called The Doomslayer, V! He hunts demons!’_   
Why did he have to say these words? After he knew EX and dad had a fight? After he knew EX was struggling? While looking into his demon-warped face, crying? Xisuma would have hidden his face behind his hands if he’d had the energy for it. He wondered why Tango and Zedaph couldn't just put him back into the hole under the desk where they had found him. 

"Ah, jeez..." He muttered, the words hurting in his throat. 

"You with us, Xisuma?" Zedaph’s worried voice warbled through his ears. He gave the weakest nod. 

Zedaph and Tango... He had been unfair to them, as well. Sure, he had been angry that they had gone against his wishes and didn't listen to VEGA, causing all this chaos - but he should have been calm about it. He was mad at them because he was their friend, worried about them, worried they would get in harm. He was only mad because he knew he wasn't able to protect them - Impulse had gotten severely injured, for goodness sake! He was mad at himself, for not being there for them. 

He was not, in fact, upset with them as people - but he feared that was just what his words would have made them believe. Despite that, here they were, helping him, trying to tend to his wounds - because they were friends. Xisuma felt his eyes tear up at the realization. They were his  _ friends _ ... And yet, he had treated them with nothing but anger. He should have asked about Impulse's injury. He should have asked about Tango's eyes, about the large bruise on Zedaph's forehead, about the scared glint in their eyes as he had entered the room. He should have put their safety first.    
How could he make up to them for it?    
A tear spilled down his cheek, hot and wet.    
Then another. 

"Xisuma?" Zedaph asked, gently wiping away the first tear.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I have to apolo-... pologize... I shouldn't have... I didn't..." Xisuma stammered, incoherently, straining to get any words out. His mouth did not want to cooperate, slurring his words, and it was interrupted by tiny sobs. He tried to suppress them, as every hitch of breath pulled at his injuries.    
" _ Ngh _ -..." He winced as Tango did something to the gash in his side, sending another shock of pain through him. 

"Shhh, it's okay! Save it for later, X."

"Yeah, maybe for when you're actually fully conscious." Tango agreed, half-joking. His voice sounded stressed beyond belief. A final burst of pressure on his wound made Xisuma yelp, then Tango sat back up and wiped over his forehead.    
"There, that's the best I can do for now."

Xisuma struggled to glance down. The burn marks on his chest were now out in the open, sore with every soft breeze. Tango had taken the better part of his own shirt and had balled it up under Xisuma's shirt to stop the blood from his big wound, tying a knot into the fabric to hold it firmly in place. Xisuma couldn't say he felt miraculously better, but the sensation of a tightly wrapped bandage grounded him somewhat.

"Ah..." Xisuma sighed. "Thank you..."

Tango let himself drop to the floor. "Man, don't do that again, ya hear me?"

Xisuma opened his mouth, defeated. 

"And by 'that' we mean running off, fighting demons, while injured and exhausted, to be clear," Zed added on. 

_ Ah _ . Xisuma closed his mouth again. 

Tango flopped over, laying down with both arms spread out. "We were worried! Like, dude..."

"What... happened to the-... the demons..." Xisuma croaked, squirming again. He wanted to sit up, but didn't quite manage. Mostly due to Zedaph still holding his head and forcing him to stay down. 

Tango sat back up, sharing a look with Zed.    
"Well." He started out, wiping blood off his hands on Xisuma's pants. "We... After you, uh,  _ left _ , we quickly went looking for you - Evil X was worried about you. We followed the, uh, trail of blood that goes through the ship."

"When we came up this hallway, there was blood everywhere." Zed continued quietly. He looked elsewhere.    
"Like, on the walls, the floor, the ceiling... We got super worried, man." Zedaph was obviously very upset about the vast amount of demon blood he had seen, and X couldn't hold it against him. 

He was suddenly once more very glad that demons disintegrated after death, or what his friends had seen would have been a lot worse. 

"We came in here, because we heard noises." Tango picked the story up again. "There's a demon trapped in the closet - X, I'm assuming that's your doing? We didn't touch it."

Xisuma's eyes followed to where Tango was pointing. He was still dazed, so details were hard to make out, but there was in fact an arm and a leg sticking out one of the cabinets, squirming. 

Ah.  _ Bartie _ . 

"There was also this loud static noise - was really hurting my ears." Zed admitted, while trying to prop Xisuma up by his back. X wasn't of much help.    
"Tango muted it before we pulled you out from-" He vaguely gesticulated towards the hole under the desk with one arm, half dropping Xisuma in the process. 

Xisuma's brain took a while to process.

"Static?", he finally whispered, confused. 

"It was playing over the speakers when we came in." Tango explained. He had walked over to the closest part of the rounded desk, leaning in very far to see the screens. He deliberately made sure to stay out of the reach of the demon locked in the cupboard. "I think it came from this here, and there was a volume button, so I muted it."

"Had to take care of you first, you know?!" Zedaph continued softly. 

He was urging Xisuma to sit up, despite the fact that the admin was very much unwilling to do so. However, he had little say in the matter. Zed simply pulled him up and leaned his back against the middle console of the room. Xisuma laid one hand over the bandaged gash on his stomach, groaning. The world spun around him as he slightly tilted his head to see what kind of screen Tango was looking at. 

It was, to no surprise, the screen that was central to VEGA. It always showed his status, running down data after data on the console on the screen. Xisuma couldn't read anything, both from the distance and the fact that he was unable to focus his eyes on a single spot, but he saw a concerning amount of red on the screen. 

"VEGA... We need to... We need to bring him back online." Xisuma tried to explain, his voice weak. "What does the status read...?"

Tango squinted. "Online." He read out. "There's...There seem to be error messages... I think."

"That's... odd." Xisuma sighed. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and rested his head against the structure behind him. "Could you unmute him for me...?"

Tango found the unmute button, and horrible static instantly filled the room. Xisuma drew a face. 

"Try to reboot him." He asked, struggling to raise his voice enough to be heard over the static. Bartie let out a screech of protest from his spot.

"Uhhh the where?" Tango asked. "Is that a button?"

"Yes, it says 'Reboot VEGA systems."

"Where would that be, exactly?"

Xisuma opened his mouth, his throat straining to produce enough noise.    
"Should be at the left-hand... side of the screen."

"There's like, ten buttons there!" Tango complained. "Who was this text written for, ants?

Zedaph suddenly perked up as if he realized something, let out a small snort of amusement and then rushed over to aide Tango. He quickly found the right button, and the static shut off. 

Xisuma saw the screen flicker between different states. 

"It says it's rebooting now," Zedaph announced, pointing to the screen. "See, Tango? That's an R, this is an E, that next one is a B-"

"Oh shut up, will you!" Tango laughed, lightly slapping away Zedaph's hand who just giggled. " _ Jerk _ ."

The slightest smile pulled at the corners of Xisuma's mouth. Despite everything, it seemed like the Hermits were still themselves, and could still laugh. Just this simple, casual interaction made his heart lighter. 

He knew about Tango's eyes - they were mechanical, powered with redstone, and they would lose power over the course of the day, depending on how long Tango was using them to see that day. And considering they had all stayed up the entire night, they must have started to run low now. It reminded him he should probably get the hermits back to the Hermitcraft server. Well, but to open a portal, they'd have to get VEGA back up and running first. Not to mention Xisuma had become really worried about the AI by now, considering he was not back up even though the ship had regained power. This was very concerning. 

From his spot on the floor, he could just about make out the rotating logo of VEGA on the reboot screen. Lines of code hushed over the screen as the AI was restarting itself - Xisuma’s stomach was uneasy as he saw how many of them were colored red. Finally, it played a 'ding' noise as the process was finished. 

"What now? Zed asked. 

"Run the startup protocol," Xisuma answered. This was something usually done by VEGA himself automatically, or requested by voice command, but there was also a corresponding button on screen. Zedaph followed the instructions, and VEGA came back online, a burst of static replaced by a voice crackling through the speakers. However, it was becoming apparent rather quickly that there was something wrong. The voice was lagging and glitching, jumping from one word to the next, and devolving into more and more unintelligible garble. 

"G0od Mm _ mm _ **_m_ ** norni **NG!̸** V̕EGA̧ ̨şt̶a̸̢t̡͞u̕s:̢̕͢ ͡͡O͏͜ **nl̢҉i** n̷̶e.̵ 

F̸̡o͢r̵t̨͢re **s̡̘͙̤̞͓̥̩̩s̸̩͕̠̞̼̥ ̴͖̦̞̦͉̰͘͞** S̶̱͇̝̦y̡҉̴̮͕̩̺͓̪ͅn̬̤c̯͈̜̼͖h̼̟͚͙͘r͇͍̮̮̮͜͡o̟̤͎͜Ni͏̥̠͔̦͉͇̠s̨̬͍͓̫ͅa͍͢͜t̵̝͈i̼̖̠̤̬͓͖̱̪o̱̱̬̩͉͕̫̭̭n̶̢͓̖̬̮̹̠͙̕:̶̘̱̹͎͉͍̤͘ ̫̯͇͝ _ D̤̥̤̼̼͔e̷̸͙͙̙̻̪͝ _ s̮̝͕͟͟ͅy̢͙̮̹͖̤n̵̯̺̠͟c҉̣̖̲̠̼͜.̢҉̙͇̣̭ ̢̜

C̴̡͖u͚͈͇͙̙r̶҉̝͙̮͍̻ͅr̠e̬̝̭̻͙̜̳̜n͏̼̼͖̰͚ţ̶̞͔͔ ̖̤̮̠͘͠l҉̧̛̭̗̟̺̹̖ơ̰̬͓̻c͖͓a̶͏̴̬̟l̨̛̲͕ ̢͕͍͜͜ț̺͉̥̻̞͇͓͟͝ͅi͇͍͞m̬͍͕̭̹̗͓͚͝ **e̸̘̥̤** :͝͏͕͙̩̱͉ ̹̩͎͇͉5̧͇̫̺̪͜:̡̟̣1͍͓̖̟̮͖2̡͉̜̱̫̻͓͝ ̛͏̰͚̝a̛̤ṃ̴̧̦̮̤̖.̛̭͇̝̳̙͟ ̯͖

F̴̗͜o̷̴̖̹̼͉̹̦̜r̷͎̝̟̹̜̰̙͉ **t҉̗̫̞̝̣̮̩r̟̣e̷͍̗̤̺̖̟̝̠̟͘** s̙̖͖̘s̝̲̩̜͓̠̜͘ ̰̰̯̟͖͟͡ͅo̗̦̤͍f̴̛̤̲̤̠͘ͅ ҉̣̞̰̤̯͙̠͇ͅD͖̬̱ơ̷̤̘͙̖̲͠o̶̳̹͖͍͓̖̩̜͝͡m͏̡̹͕̗̤ ҉̘̲s͏̡҉̲̪̺̬t̡͈͚͖͓̟̮a͎͚̗̝̱͕͍̟͟ţ̰͚͜u̹̳̬͍͞s̤͉͇͕̘͡͡ _ :̨̳̯͙̟̖̼ ͇̺̠͍C̷̝̮̰̙͢ _ r̻̻̬̪̖͝ͅͅi҉̵̰̰̘͘t̟̝̬̤̼͜i̶̺̩̼̦c̶͚͚͘͠a̸̶͍͙͇̻̣͖͞l̞̝͍̦͍̩̣͠͡ ̴҉̗̘̯͓̜s̴̛̟̪͍̩͖̦͎̺̻y҉͏̳̣͎̳̜̙͎ **s̘̝͇͉̠̟̻̙͔͡t̞̦̩̬̜̺͘e̡͏̙̥̫̮͙̟͚̩m͏̨̪̺̟s͓̘͈̱͈͔ ̹̦͟o̢̜͉̥̘͖̗͓͇̠** n̵͇͉̬̟̝͡l̯̝̣̥i͎̟̳n̛̰̺e͉̫̼̙̟͓̮͉͝.͇͉̰̯͘̕

R̵̺̣̕u̠͕̫̩͚͚n͠҉̸̦͕̘̳n̛͈͍̘̗i̗̫̺͙̩̳̺n̛̼͕̜̫͇̱̩͖̤g̷̮̪͢ ̡̳͉̼ͅs̖͔͡y̕͞͏̲͇͙͇ş̸̵̟̠̱̙̠̳̣̯̱t͓͎̖̝͡͠e̡̖̳̯̦̟̞͟m͏̸̨̩͈s͇̼̫̱̥͖̟̺ͅ ̰̕͠s҉̧̫̥͎͕̰̲̠̜c̻̘̭̙̟͍̰ͅa̸̛̦͈̯̦̦̻̫n̮̘̥̘̻͘͠.̰͈͢͞ ̸̵͇̺̻

Ơ̶̶̧͖̘̟̱̙̻̖̫̲̦͂̄͑̎̒ͨ̉̃͑ͥ̈̽ͤ͞2̢͕̯̼̘̯̥̳̪̿̏ͣͬͥ̓̒̅͌̂ͣͧ̆͒ͣ͜ ̶̧̡̧̝͇͇̭̣̭͈̪̻̜͈̗ͫ̊ͯ̓ͥͫ̈́̏ͯ͡͝͡ͅF̨͖̟͓͙̮͑ͯ̾ͧ̄͂̓ͪ̄̕͏̴͎̞͈̭͛ͩ͐͘͝į̶̛̝̯̹̗͉ͩͧͮ͌̅ͦͮ͋̉͊ͣ̕͢l̴̢̢̨̙̝͇̮͉͉̘̣̻͎͙͔̥̺̊̉̾͑̈́͛͐̈́̚͢͝t̶̡̛̟̞̣͉͓͓̪͕ͬͬͩ̃͂ͥ̆ͩͫͣ͆ͨ͆̈́̕͝e̢͇̩̞̙͖̻̪̪̲͚̗̞̣͗̍͊̆ͥ͑̏̑ͅr̵̵̷̴̛̠̞̦͖̱̹͔̪̘̣̰̪ͮ̎ͫ̑̃ͭͤ̎͛̕ͅs̴̡͇͎̜̟͈̳̮̖̳̪̖̳̮ͣ̒̍̏ͮͫ̊ͧ͟͞:̧͎͎̭͓̺͖̗̱̜͎̗̠̭͓̄͐̈́̇͛̿̂͝ ̡̢̧̭͖͚͖̻̟̬̭̋͗̆͌̄̐̆̔ͫ̄̐͑͒͗̚̕͘Ŏ̶͎͕̱̺͓͎̹̰̹̼͆ͩ͂ͦ̓ͫͭ̽̏̌ͤ̓̉ͬ͋͢n̷̵̨̛̗̻̝̮̠̠͍̺ͤ͂̃ͥ͋ͫ͗̃͘͝l̵̶̨̢̨͓̭̣̹̬̤̥͖̒̔ͮ̋̒͠͞͞i̧͕̱̝̦͓̬̍̽ͤ̈́̔͏̨̜̪̩͉͋̎͘n̦̓̏͋͏̶̨͇̭͔̞̞̗̦͒͗̀̿̊͋̓͊͘̕͡ͅe̴̵̜̠̝͍̤̲̾ͩ̈́̌ͬ̔̒̓̈́ͧ͌́͡.̢̺̦͉͓̯̖͙̱̣̹̩̈́͑͐̑͊̓͂̍̋̉ͫͦͨ̚ͅ ̶̷̢͓̰̖̖̹̫̦̣͕̹ͭ̑̅ͤ͐̏̓͊͐̚͜͝͠

G͙̖͔̮̪̘̞̱̖̦̼̤̼̍̅ͭ̄͛͐̋̍̒̌ͮ͢r̴̛̛͚̖̥̫̹̼͉̖̼̍ͬ̈́̅ͧͣͭͬ̿ͭ͟͞͠a̶̸̧͇̮̬̣̠̟͇̪̒ͩ̂ͫ͋ͮͫͨ͋̎͗͘v̸̢̢̛̰̫͔̼̜̻̟̥̟̣ͬ̅̽ͪ̊͛̂́̇̌̑ͯ̕͟͠i̷̝̣̯͚̬̱̟̣̹ͦ̇̈̓̈͗͋ͥ̑́ͧ̅ͫt̶̡͍͎̺̪̰̮͓̟ͥͯ̋̎̆̓̄͑ͦͮ͏̶y̴̸̧̹̻̱̟ͦ̊̓ͦ̅͐̍ͨ͒̄̍̕͢͜ ̵̨̞̬̞͍̝͕̈́̄̒ͨ̌ͣ̾̃͛ͯͧ̒ͭ͐ͨ͊̚͡Ģ̨̡̲̖͍̝̦̜̮͓̬̔̈ͭͬ͗͒ͧ̂͘͟͡͠ē̸̦̭̖̼̗̼̈́ͧ͘ͅ͏̵̼̝͖̹͈̱̔ͥ̊ͣ̑̔̇͟n͍͏̸̘̬͍̺̭̣͙̟̲̤͍̂͋ͦ̽̾̋͢͡e̵̸̛̪͈̥̦̊ͣ̋ͩͭͬ͛͌ͫ͋ͨͭ͢͏ṟ̵̢͇̩͓̞̖͙͚̱͍̩ͯ͋̈̃̈́̀̆̀͌͋́͞ͅå̵̝̟̬̗͚̩͕̥͙̙̿͂ͤ̂̉ͣ̾͛̄̃̅̒̅ͯ̚ṫ̷̶̢̛͕̩̹͔̿̏ͨ̋͗ͭͬͦ͒͑̒ͨ̌͜ǫ̨̫͈̪̪̹̦̪̥̹̞̉̆̆ͬ͂̄͒͑̓́ͦ͘̕͜͡ͅr̵͕̝͍̦͍̫̹̮̹̼̿ͭ͛͗ͤ̕͟͜͜:̷̝̟͙̜̬͇̻͖̘̖̗͕̫̳ͧ͌ͩͧ͒͑̽̕͠ ̸̢͈̱̼̗̟̽̒͗̋ͩͫ͏̷̢͔͈̾̄̈́ͪ̓̕͘͡ͅÖ̶̱͎͉͎͗͋̓̾̓̈́͆̉̎̚͏̛̥ͭ̒͡n̵̷̷̨̲̖͚͈̥̈̆ͤͥ͒̉̾ͨ͘͜͠l̴̛̯̖̙̬̠̹̺̹̩͎̳̍̋̂ͦ̽̽̆ͮ̽̅͆̑̈͘͠ì̶̖̝̰̪̳̖̩̻͍̠͈̏ͦ͒͋ͧ͒̆̏ͯ̕͢͏͉̞̓n̟̪̤͚̗͖͔̊ͥͧ̆̂̆͊̆̽ͮ̉͛̓̏͐ͩ̕e̶̴̫̖̫̮̫͚͍͊̐̊̐͛̅ͯͫ̌̇̂̀͘͟͠͡͝.̨͕͇͈̪̩͍͕̟̻͈͐̍͊̈̂ͮ̓́ͮͭ̓͛̃̚

̷̵̢̻̱̩̱̳̜͔̰͓ͭͤ̏ͣ̏ͨ͑̌ͫ̏ͣ̚Ò̶̵̶̗̞͕̌ͫ̈̾͑̿̄ͫ͏̨̭͕̯̯̂͑̄̈́ͧ̅ͮ͘͢ủ̢̦̞̤͔̬̯͛̿͛͆̓͐͑ͥ͊ͭ̋̂ͥ̔͘̕͢͡͝͠͝͡t̡̠̩̞͕͕̝̗̳͒̊́̾ͬ̈́ͫͪ̾̌͘e̛̦̻̗͎̮͓̞̥̦̬̘͎̻̐ͨ͋͐̅ͦ̓ͤ͂̕͜͜͜͝͠ř̃ͫ͏̷̡̭̘͙̼̜͇̘̮̾̂̈́̇͐̏̈́̓̈ͪ̋̕͝ ̢͚̣͓̲͉̜̞̫̗̔͂̐̾͆̎̈ͨͬ̕͠H̦͎͇̟͍̝͎̞̝̹̬̙͇̩̔ͬͤͩ̆̈́̆ͤ̎̈͢͢͝ủ̴̴͓̰̣̲̱͕͙̟̐̿̉͐̔̆ͤ̄̅ͪ͜l̵̷̷͍̤̯̻̱̮̟̔̀̔̎ͮ͒̂̓͛̂ͣͭͩ̏́̽̈́ͥ̉͆l̢̯̙͓̺̜̜̣ͭ̀̊̿ͮ̾̏ͣ̕̕͢͞:̴̵̢̗̥͚͍͖̰̬̱̬ͤ̈́ͤ̆͑̈͑̎̚͡ ̮̹̖͇̺͖̺̦́̇͑̌̍͛ͤ̃̒̅̇ͨ̈̏̏Ò̵̳͔̯̬͈̝͍͍̞̯͇̥̀̽̓̿͐̊̓̂͛ͧͩ̓͡͝n̰̠̘̫̣̗ͪ̄̿̄̾͑͏̶̮̞̦̽͌̚l̷̡͍̺̻̠̩̬͇̮̪̥͆̉̋ͬ̽ͣ͌͐̀̇̓̐͡͝ͅḭ̢̹̤̻̜̥ͩ̅̄͆̎ͬ͞͏̨̪͍̯̐ͦͧ͌̅ͨ̓̕͡͡ͅn̳̙̗͈͈̮̥ͦͣ͛̿̍̅͛̽͊͘͘͢ͅe̷̸̠̖̥̰̠͎͔͚̐̊̋͋ͮ͆̈̾ͮ̓ͧ͂ͪ̏͘.̴̸̢̡̛̦͕̮͔͕̘̣̟͎̙͓͚͂͊̾ͧ͆ͤͨͪ̎̄͢͜͞

̧͇̗͍̪̦̻͔̝̲͈̪̔̑̇̽͐̓͜͠Š̢͈̥̥̥̬̦̟̫̒̿̍ͥ̏ͮ̋̇ͭ̐̈̈̀͠ḧ̴̡̖̻̞̺̲̹͕̙̬͉͇͙͎ͤ͆̆̾̎́̇̃̓ͯͧ͒͢i̸̢̛̛̹̭͔̩͚̿ͬͣ̓̈́̅͊̚͘͢͢͜͠e͇̻̳̦̜̥͔͈̲̦̪͊̂̿̏͗̀̊̅̌ͧ̔̚͜͜͝͞ḽ̱̺͈̰̪͎̟̻̅̃̋ͫ͛ͨͦͨ̽̊͘̚͟͝͞ḑ͖̞̯̼̲̭͎̱͊̐ͮ̄̿͒̽͐ͭ̊̆̇͟͟͠ͅs̸̶̸̶̢̧̭̞̜͇̙̩̟͎̹͈̠̯̐̏̈ͬ̈́̉̏ͦ͢͜:̶̵͇̻̗̩̣̟͎̠̳̋̀̃ͭ̓ͦ̄̏ͤ̚͢͡ ̶̗̦̖̭͈͍̖̙̻ͥͬͣ̍ͬ̄̆̏ͩ̎͊ͫ͘͟͝M̵̵̨͎̝̲̰̬̗̿̏͐͐̊̓̎̿̀ͦ͗̚͞i̵͕̝̥̣̼̙̞͕͙̘̖̹ͣͧͧͧ͜͝͡n̛͓̥̬̝̝͖ͦ̒̅̒ͤ̑ͧͨ͂̀͑͡͠i̸̡̨̧̨̪̥͚̜̟̹̹̺̲̐ͩ͛͋ͬ̃ͦ̿̈̈́̍ͦ̎m̸̴̡̝͎̬̜̲̪̝̥͔̃̈́̑ͧͮͬͤ͌̂͟͡͠͝͡u̡̢͔̩̠̱̻͗ͭͨ̀͛̄̽̉̒ͣ̄̿ͤͨ͜͜͞͠m̸̡̢̝̩̥̲͉̜̝͖̽̄͊͆ͥ͂̐̽̑ͭ̋ͯ͘̕͝ ̷̶̷̧̙͈̯̮̥̟̮̣̠͕ͥ̌ͪ̂͒̌̔̂̋͘͝C̸̴̴̵͇̋ͣ͆͑͠ͅ͏̶̨̻̱̼̭͋ͨͫ̂͐̒͘͠ͅā̸̡̙̠̮̟͍͍̈̔̄̂ͮ͛͋ͦ̈ͫ͗̒͢͡͝͏͉͎̓͢p̗̪͓̗͙̜̫̋̊̂̄͑̇͌͋̾̽͆͑̍â̡̧̬͚͎̰̭̯̫̥̜̆̐͊͗ͯ͒̉̂̔͋ͪ̒̕͟͡ͅč̸̗̩̲͙̠̗̩͈͉ͥͯͭͯ̅̏ͪ͊̓̕̚͜͡ͅi̼̝̝̹̦̓ͧͪ͌̎́̿ͯ͊͑̃̎ͯ̓̈ͨ͘ẗ̵̵̛̮͈͕̖͈͍̣̹̥̞̱̺͙ͣ̃̇ͫ̾̓̌͌̿͘͜ͅy̴̡̻̟̼̙̗̯͚̐́̏͌̎ͨ͊͒̎̿ͨ̕͠.̷̫͉͍̦͔̤̞̗̲̘̌͊ͥ̐͛̄͐̅̓̈́̈́̅͛ͯ͠ ̷͕̖͉͍̃̽̉ͅ͏̶̝͉̬̑̂̀ͤ̈̉͡͡ͅ1̧͇̙͕̟̮͔̤̱̫́̄̾ͮ̃̌ͪ͂̋ͩ̋͐̏̎̓͠͞͡5̸̢̛̛̝̞͇͔̖̫̺̺͔̔̽̃͐̽̓ͪ́̑̚̕͡͝͞%̷̧͔͙̤̥̅́ͨ̐̏ͩͯ͌͟͟͏̊̄ͦ͆̎ͦ́͐͑͜͠.̷̶̢̖͕̪̱͙̓ͫͥ͑̎ͯ̈̾͑͑̿ͩ̚͟ ̙̘͎̗̖̪̘̱͖͑̏ͪ̃̐̀͒̄̂ͬ̇͡ͅ

B̷̛̞̲͉͓̝͓̝̐͊̓̎͗ͫ͑ͤ͗̚̚͢͢͝͞a̩̭͚̙̞̗̘̫ͤ͒̈ͨ̔̽ͤ̿͛̽ͫ̒̃͐̚͢ͅṡ̢̤͉̦̙̫̭̙̯͖̜̓̆̌ͩ̀̎̋́͢͜͝i̵̷͓̣̫̠̗̰̋̍͊ͨͯ̊̊̈́̋ͮͬ͘͞c̴̶̡̺̙̮̙̟̩͍̭͉͎͐ͬ̃̂ͦ̃̎͑͑ͮ̏̆͝ͅ ̷̶̢͎̬̹̠̖̲̪̰̗̬̳͇̀ͦ͌͒ͦ͋́ͫ̉̏͌͆ͫͩ͟E̺̬̠̎͏̹͈̣̳̱̞͓̹̝̭̓̋͒ͥ̈́͗ͤ̍͒̏l̷̴̶̢̢̪̯̞̭̦̐̄́ͯ̌̈́͋̉͂̕͞͞e̴̷̡̢̙͎̫̖͔͕̩̩̰ͦ̓̓̓͋ͫc̷̢̦̜͙̰̰̤̜̑͆̅̃͛ͬͭ̚͟͏̣̬͈̱̤͓͒̓̑ţ̵͚̜̦̹͇͍̑͊ͮ̔̉͐ͪͤͪ͊ͨ͆̑͠r̶̲̥͙͈̠̬̫̜ͩ͌ͩͤ̓̄ͥ̈͛̕͘͝͏̸̹̳ḭ͖̺̓̋̋ͮ͏̲͋̂̚͢͞͏̡͉̦͔̺̠̗̲̌͢͡͞͝c̸̨̹̯͖͚̩͕̥̮̬̰͇̯̘ͬͪͣ͐̋̕͡i̷͖̟̯̦̻͚͕̺ͨ̓ͣ̈́ͬͦ͆̓ͣ͗͋ͣ̓͘͘ţ̶̷̴̴̸̨̪̭̣̜͍ͭͦ́̒̐͐̑͒͋̄͛͗ͫ͜͢͡ỵ̶̨̘̙̣̻̠̙̤̭̟̺͛ͯ̈́͌̃ͨ͑͠͏̗͗̃:̶̨̯͓̼̖̙̖̑ͤ͋̎ͫ̈͒ͫ̌̏͋̍͟͝ ̡̨̻̹̰͖̘͕̮̓ͬ̈́ͩ͌ͫ̂͡͠͏͓̜̾Ờ̴̡̳͕͈͕̹͛̍͐ͮ̅ͣͪ̉̐ͯ͂ͪ̋̇ͣ͐̕ͅn̢̺̗̫̬̙͕̘͖̭ͮ͊͛͗͒̑͒͊ͤͤͫ̏̔ͯ͋͟͠ļ̶̮͎͖͇͕̯̜͇̍̈́̆̉̑̄̽̒̕͝i̴̴̸̷̡̡̟̭͈̜̙̦̼͓̥̤̓ͤ͌͒ͭ͟͡͝ņ̷̸̡̖͉̖̗̱͕̳ͪ͊̌ͪ̏ͩ͌̓͞ḛ̡̼̻̱̳̩̘͕̤̥̲͔̜̼̭͒̈̄ͧ̏ͬ̆̑̇ͯ̚͟͠ͅ.̷̨̡͉̘̞͉̞͚̉ͨ̓͌̃̓̿̋̂ͨ̒̕ ̨̡̢͙̣̬̙̝͍̉ͬͤͨͣ͋ͦ̈́̾ͣ͒͐̐͞͠

A̸̡̛͔̖̘͙̬̱͓͌͐̑̓̀ͧ̓ͦ̓d̴̡̢̛̝͈̤̘̻̳̭̩͗ͥ̍ͭ͗̓ͬͣ̃̊ͤ̕̕͞v̴̶̼͇̮̪͎̺̪͖̻͕̔ͤͥ̅ͨ̒ͧ̌͗͌͗͐͘̕͠ͅa̸̶̝̼̰͔̬̽̿ͩ͒̽ͦͩ̅́ͪ̌̀̃͘͟͢ṋ̵̨̪̬̠̻̖͕̗ͪ̐̏͗͐ͪͩͦ̉̓͝c̛̹̘̜̭̳͐͋̎͋ͩ͂ͣͬ̎͒̇̽ͦ͡e̵̸̶̠̜͚͍̯̻͙̬̻͉̓̆̿̊ͫͦ̓ͤ̄͒ͩͮ̉͐͟͟ͅd̶̶̳̜̮̯̞͍͍̫̜̋̄͂̊ͦ͛̌̿̊ ̟̖̭͎͓͙ͩͬ̏ͣ̈̿ͩͧ̎̆̊̃͂͡͝ŝ̸̴̡̢̢̥̟̫͇̰̘̫̫̰̠̖̺͐͑ͪͭ̃̾̆͒͜͞ę̸̯̞̠̙̤̻̘̫̣̤͑̓̏̑̊̉̓͂ͫ̌ͨ̚͟͠ṅ̵̴̛̼̦̱͎͉̥͔̅̆̑͛͊̌ͯͫ͡͞7̴̯̭͉̬̦̭̱̮̥̱̊͂ͨͯ͗̊͞8̶̡̻̳͈̺̙͖͚̗̜̙̙͓̙̳͎̹̆̂ͮ͘ͅã̶̧̤͚̤̬̦̺͔̘̹̯͂̈ͦb̷̧̥͕̲̗̲̓̾̍͊ͧ̒ͫ͛͘͜7̶̛̘̟̼͙̠̩͎̪̩͙̰̤͎̜̹̯͚ͯͥͭ̓͜͝f̲̘͕̟͕̗̫͇̙̝̮̠̗̝̰̮̺̤̌͑̅͗̏ͩ͢ͅd͐̃͛̔ͬ̽̂͟͠͏̩̯̗̤̭̣̥̼̹̰͍̖̼̞ͅ4̷̟̣̦̼̲̳̻͙̘̣͇̇̉̂̅͊͐̓̏ͭͭ̋͆̿̅ͬ̚̕ä̡̛͈̺͓̝̘̦̣̘̯́̋̀̍ͫ͡3̷̶̟̺̘̗̃͋ͥ̈̏̌̌ͩ̐͛̌̎4̵̢͛̊̇̾͑̅ͭ̌̿ͨ̋̈́͛̄ͣ̓͝͏͉͓̝̗͙̟̙̗̲̺̕ͅ1̴̶̧̛̺̺͎͖͍̭̤̠̝̥͕̻̥̰̞ͬ̐ͦ̌̊͊͛̒͒͗̈́ͯͬ̀̂ͨ6̛̛͎̯͔̝̯̘̳̻̹̾̓̇̄̎̓̃ͫͨ͛̏̊̋̈̓ͦ̔̐͛͝a̎͌ͫͪ̿͑̇̐ͤ̅ͩͪ̚҉̰͉͙͔̝͉̗̣̠̤̞̘͍̙͎̝̻̼͢c̴̶̢̨̭̳̱͍̰͍̤̬͈̣̥͖̤̝͇̘̗̖̮̊̾̍̈͗ͦ̽̒ͬ̏ͪ̌ͥ͒̂͂̌̉7ͭ̉ͯͤͮ̾̅̿̉̂ͭ҉͢҉̰̗̯͇̻̘̱̯͙ͅͅ5̶̶̡͖̼̣͔̫̦̗̰̰̲̜̏͆͗ͣ̋͒͑̎̍̌̋̈́̓̌c̯̻̖̺̠̥ͨ̋ͥ̿́̇ͮͪ̋0̘͓͚̝̭̫̮͎͇̯̖̝͖̳͔̞͎ͨͥ̈̏ͬͬ̋͒̉̆͠

1̸̧̢̰̘̼̥͙̤̜͕̳͔͖͉̗͔̏̎̇̋ͬͯ̋̆̈̏̇̉̍ͮ̾͑9̷̰̝̟̘͓̫̣̺̫̟̪͔ͦͦ̇̋̉̽̚͞͠ͅ9̶̡̨͓̻͍̞͈͙̬̿̊̔͑̒͗̊ͫ̈̒ͯͥ͟͜b̧̧͙̬̺͔͙̈́̌̿̋̀1̓̏ͩͫ̈ͦ͋̅̄ͬͭ͊̔͘͏͙̟͈̯͍̜̹͙̦̱̳̭̳̤̤͉͜3̙̭̖̻͓̰̙͚͓̦͖̲̭̿͒ͬ̆ͩͪ̚̕͟͟ͅͅ0̎ͥ̑̌̐̅̍̅҉̢̧̛͎̬̦̗̺̳͔̜̝̥̹͍0̷̩̥̞̬̈́̑ͩ̍̌̓ͯͩͣ̏͋ͪ͆ͦ͟3̢ͪ̇͂̿ͩͩ̊̈́̂ͪ̈́͐ͧ͘͡͏̱̺̣̠̭͓̪͈̟̜͔͎͓͕̟̟̞͙3̌ͪ̃̄̍͋̐̅ͩͨ͂ͦ́ͩ͆ͪ̈͂̚͏̸̨̥̦̝̼̞͎̦̙̤̖̥̩͈̘̰1̯͉͙̫̞̥̫̰̩̭͎̦͙̝̼̫̬͕̋̉ͪ̂͡7̷̷͚̠̺̺̺̹͙̫̘͍̖̖̳̝͍̝ͥ̌̈̓̈́̉ͦ̆ͮ̓ͩ͢ḑͥͥͩ͗̆ͩ͋ͫ̀̃͞͏̹̠͓͖͖̲̰̣̹̮͚̫̲̮̘̘͕̭̲2̴̶̵̖̲̰̮̪̠͒̂͆̄ͨ͘͟8̴̧̛͎̬̼͎̍̀̌̿̋ͤ͗̅͆͗͐̀ͭ͒̚d̢̧͖̼͈̩͎͚̒̄̾̈ͭ̊̏ͫͪ̏͌̆̐̽͆̕͟͞3̴̶̨̠̻̯̗̥̘͍̮͒̀͐̾͑̅͒͐̅̎̐ͬ͂̎͒̃̐͛̈́͟7̗̪͇͍͉͎̗̳̝̹͉͓͉̤͎̫̉ͣ͐̆ͫ̅ͥ̓ͯͣ͐́̏͊͆͡9̨̐ͩ͂ͫ͐͜҉̰̪͔̪͇̖̗͈̞̻̲̝̻͕̪7̶̢̰͍͓̫̖̞ͥ̿ͪ̌͑̔ͪͧ̊̇ͨ͊͜͡1̛̣̯̟̺̹͓͕͇̺̬̜̹̪̜ͫ͑͑̇ͯ͜͞5̧̛͙̺͚̰̬̲̭̜͈̠̳͐̂̈ͦ̋́͗͑͊͂͂ͥͯ̇ͬ͒̃̚6̸̶̠̳̪̞͙̦̳͎ͩͩ̐ͧ͂̊ͨ̓̋ͫ̋̑̆͂̊̊ͬ̚͠ͅe̢̨͉̫͕͉͔̘͖͉̟̥͍̼̥ͣ̈́ͣ͑̆̏͌ͪ͊̂̄̍̒ͨ͡9̢̺̲̤͔̹̮̥̜̪̯̙̯̳͉̯̙̋ͣ̔̅́́̉̊̍̄ͨ͂ͫͧ́̕4̝͔͔̫̙̲̘̲̹̃͒ͤ̋ͬ̔̃̍ͨ̊ͬͩ͛̃ͦͥ̓͗ͬ͢͝͠ͅ7̴̨̤̦̤̼͇̬̺̰̦̦͚͚̲͛ͨ̋͊1̷̸̨͚̝̻͈̱̩̰ͥ̓̒͋̈́̂͌̽ͬ̂͜͠f̸̵̩͉̤̭͈̞͕̫̟̙͙̈ͩ̓̄̿̀̌̕͞͞ͅf̸̼̰͖̮̪̩̻̃̽̓̊ͬͩͫ̏ͬ͐̈͊͆̓̎ͧ̊̓̕͟͝ͅ2̵̬̣͔̖̆͆͂̔̆ͭ̆̂̓ͫͩ̎ͣ̅͘8͔̟̦̳̘̦͈͓̜̹̖̪̭̮̳͉̟̅ͣ̔̇͛̍̊ͧ͋̐̾͊͛͐́̑̒ͯ͊͘̕͜1͚̹̼͈̦̞̲̦͙̟͎̹͇̟͙͚ͯ̊̎̚͘͞cͥ̑͗ͧ̽͑͗̽̈́̅͐ͬ̃̈́̿͑ͥ͏̡̡͖̩̖͚̤͇̩̱̞̠̞̘͓̝͕͝ͅͅd̵̦̖̟̝̮̭̩͙̪̭̂̏́̓̀͂̓͆ͧ́9̶̶̴͇̩͕̝͔̣͚̪̱̒͆́͑̅̈̍͗̏̄ͅá̗̭̥̪̗̯̗̳̄ͨ̀́ͧͤͪ̽̉̉̄ͧ̆͊̊̉͒͝4̶̢̡̉̔́̉̎ͯ̒̏͛̈ͤͧ̇͊ͭ̌҉҉͓̼̲̳̘̙̲̪̯̼̤̦̰̗̫̭̱͚9̷̢̛̩̬͎̤̮̥̇̅ͪ̏̄ͤ̿̂ͦ̇͂ͫ͝͡ǎ̽̓̑͊͌͛̕͏̼̼̠̻̰͍͙͖̬̞̥̠̻͓̝̼̕b̸̸̜̙͖̠̩̗̹̝̖̈́ͧ͊̓̊̇͋ͨͪ͆ͭ́̍̈́ͨ͗e̊ͮ̌̿͑̒ͪ̏ͨ̈́̈́ͧ̓ͩ̚̚҉̢̣̺͍̣̺̖͈͈͡

As the voice had become nothing but a warped static screech, Tango quickly muted it again. Zedaph was holding his ears shut with his palms, while Xisuma winced.

"That's not very good." The admin admitted, squinting his eyes. 

"You  _ think _ ?" Tango murmured. "What do we do, X?"

"I... Oh, dear..." Xisuma once again tried to prop himself up, but faltered in pain. He settled down again, defeated. He rested one hand over the bandages on his body as he was thinking. "Can you pull up the log? Should be... on the left side of the screen."

Zedaph 'hmm'-ed in agreement, then was silent for a second. Xisuma, who was still gradually gaining back his senses, heard Bartie-... the Gargoyle demon scraping against the metal of the cabinet and the walls. 

"Uh oh." Zed made quietly, and Xisuma's heart dropped. 

"Oh, this is looking worse than the server's log after Mumbo built a new farm." Tango said, leaning in really far into the screen. 

"This is all just programming jumble... but bad," Zedaph commented, trying to explain. "Lots'a red. It also says 'Data corrupted' at the top..."

"Oh, VEGA..." Xisuma whispered, closing his eyes in guilt. VEGA was always giving his best to help them and care for them...He did not deserve any of this. "Okay. Okay. Zed, does it say something about memory?"

Another moment of silence before Zedaph answered, presumably after scrolling through some of the data log. "Yeah, here. Says something is compromised...Central processing... critical functions..... uh, uh oh?"

"Cool... so VEGA is corrupted?" Tango asked quietly. He sounded... sad. Mournful. 

"Easiest fix would be to load his last backup. But..."

"But what?" Zedaph turned around, looking to Xisuma. X could see the worry painted in his face and voice. 

"VEGA would lose his memory from the last backup till now." Tango completed the thought, sounding somber. 

"Yes. Unfortunately, I don't think we have much... much of a choice in the matter - we need VEGA to analyze that data, and-... And I don't think any of us is able to sift through the code and fix him. My best guess is the data corruption was caused by the sudden power outage." Xisuma had to cough after such a long sentence, his throat sore. The cough hurt his body again, sending ripples of pain from his wound. He tried to be as still as possible, hoping it would pass.

"That would check out." Tango agreed. 

"We should... We should hurry." Xisuma was tired. "I'll tell you what to do."

Tango and Zed nodded and, mindful of the demon still trapped in the room, they got to work, listening to Xisuma's weakly muttered instructions. First, they stopped VEGA’s processes again, then went to the cabinets all around the room to retrieve the latest backup. According to Xisuma, VEGA made a backup of his central processes and coding every 24 hours, at 5am when the more human inhabitants of the Fortress were usually asleep. Tango and Zed took a small data carrier with the latest backup from the cupboard, then plugged it into the mainframe. Xisuma was struggling to stay with them. He laid all his focus on giving them instructions, just so he wouldn’t pass out once again, despite the fact how inviting the painfree darkness seemed…

Tango and Zedaph now only needed to set this backup as the latest version to work around the corrupted one, and then, finally, they hit the reboot button again. 

Straining, Xisuma stretched his neck to see VEGA's logo circling in the loading screen. After some excruciating moments of held breath, the familiar jingle finally played. VEGA was back online. It took about 3.5 more seconds, then Xisuma finally heard the soothing voice of VEGA again, a breath of relief flooding through him.

"Good morning! VEGA status: Online. Current local time does not match up with my last known recordings - it seems you have loaded a backup of myself."

* * *

VEGA sprang back to consciousness instantly. 

He immediately ran his most important threads, as he usually did upon start-up: Check on the Slayer's Praetor suit to confirm his vitals, check on the Fortress' critical functions, check on Xisuma's and EX's suits and vitals, self-diagnosis. VEGA could run all these simultaneously, of course. 

To his shock, he could not find the Slayer's vitals. Digging through the results of the check he had run, VEGA figured out the Slayer was not wearing his full armor. Most parts laid discarded in his bedroom, including his helmet and chestplate - which VEGA used to keep track on most of the Slayer's vitals.  _ Damn _ . The AI ran all other tests that were available to him. The Slayer was still wearing his leg armor - however it didn't do VEGA much good, as it could only keep track of his leg muscles’ movement and similar things. He was also still wearing his left gauntlet. VEGA was able to keep track of the Slayer's pulse this way, and he noticed it was greatly heightened. He had barely ever seen his pulse rise like that. Even in demon fights, the Slayer rarely broke a sweat, and when he did the pulse would climb to a certain amount usually. This number was almost unheard of. At least his health bar seemed fine. He had barely lost any health.

Still, if VEGA could frown, he would have. 

The vitals of Xisuma and EX came back with similar results - neither of them were wearing their chestplates or helmets. To his surprise, Xisuma's suit actually did ping back to him. Usually, it would not be picked up by his scanners as Xisuma was supposed to spend his days on the Hermitcraft server at the moment. However, he was now registered as within the castle, his helmet (which seemed to be malfunctioning) in one of the outer airlocks, while his chestplate was discarded but with the rest of the armor in VEGA's core. EX's armor parts seemed to be in the same airlock that contained Xisuma's helmet. As their suits were much less elaborate and complex as the Praetor suit, VEGA only had access to their general health stat. He did not like what he saw. EX had lost about two-thirds of his health, while Xisuma was at critically low levels. 

What was going on? How long had he been offline?

The check on the Castle's processes did not come back with good news either. Critical systems - O2, gravity, basic shields, basic power - were still running, but there was an issue with the power distribution between the energy core and the general circuitry of the ship. All non-critical processes had been dialed down to a minimum, the ship was running on standby mode. Logs told him that the station has had to rely on the emergency generators for about one and a half hours, and had only recently come back online with the regular power supply. 

VEGA's concern deepened. 

He switched to his own logs, noticing a discrepancy between the last recorded time in his internal data, and the current world-time of the ship. His processes seemed to be running normally, despite some functions being off-limits due to the disrupted power supply. VEGA now understood what had happened. The times didn't match up. His last log was from 5am the day before - almost 24 hours before the current time. He concluded that someone had loaded a backup of him from the previous day. 

This wasn't good. 

Of course, VEGA didn't particularly mind having a backup loaded - but he would very much like to know the reason for this. He knew the Slayer wouldn't do so if there was no reason for it. He was more concerned about what this meant for the other people on the ship - namely the Slayer, and EX. Were they in danger? Why was Xisuma here? 

He quickly dispatched a thread to run a scan of all lifeforms on the station and booted up his cameras and microphones at the same time so he would have visual and auditory access. He was sure it wouldn't take up too much of the ship's power. 

Bootup and mandatory checks being run, VEGA announced his presence over the entire ship's speakers, as it was programmed after an unscheduled reboot. 

The whole sequence of his startup-protocols had taken him about 3.5 seconds, an unusually long time. 

"Good morning! VEGA status: Online. Current local time does not match up with my last known recordings - it seems you have loaded a backup of myself."

The scan over the whole ship came back, confusing VEGA. The Slayer's unique presence was in the right airlock, along with a half-demon - that was EX - and an other-dimensional being, off from what VEGA knew to be a human. Four signals were in the VEGA central processing chamber - Bartolomew the Gargoyle, Xisuma with his half-Makyr readings, a human and someone who seemed to be part human, part... sheep? Neither of the last two were from this dimension either. He also found a whole of 26 other demon signatures. Excluding the Ripatorium from his search results, VEGA counted 4 demons in other parts of the ship - there was a Possessed in the kitchen, two Imps fighting each other in the Greenhouse, and a Cacodemon hovering in the large stairway room with the Mecha in it. Without awaiting further instructions, he closed all doors around the Ripatorium, making sure the demons were contained in that area. He also managed to trap the Possessed by simply closing the kitchen door, although he could neither cut off the Greenhouse nor the Stairway completely, as they were both large open rooms with many staircases branching off, and not all of them had doors. 

Flicking through the cameras made him focus on the two rooms with people in it. 

The airlock. The Slayer was curled up on the ground near one wall, while EX and the unknown person were sat down at the opposing wall. VEGA focused on the Slayer. He was slightly trembling, and a mass of red and purple flesh was attached to his arm. What had happened? What was that? VEGA remembered the Slayer being slightly nauseous and having a heightened temperature the night before. He had sustained a minor injury on his arm as he had fought in the Ripatorium after his bad argument with EX about the Gargoyle demon. VEGA remembered the injury had been unusual, and seemed to have a weird effect on the Slayer's health - he had proceeded to get worse over the night. However, as his memory and data logs were cut off at 5am, VEGA had no way of telling what had happened.

He set another thread on accessing the logs from his own processes in the past 24 hours. 

Meanwhile in his Processing room, he saw Xisuma, prone on the floor, leaned against the middle console. The remaining two people were at the desks, staring at his screens, while Bartholomew the demon was.... trapped in a closet. VEGA could see an arm sticking out. Xisuma had an awful amount of blood on and around him - that would explain his low health stat. However, his face lit up with a slight smile as he heard VEGA's voice. 

"VEGA! You're back!" He said, his voice only a breath of relief. 

VEGA switched so his voice only played in this particular room.    
"Xisuma, I'm glad to hear from you. My data logs don't seem to match up - do you mind catching me up?"


	18. VEGA cleans up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: body horror

The next hour was all but a big blur. 

Xisuma had caught VEGA up to current events in as few words as possible: The Slayer had fallen ill with demonic vines growing, EX had called Xisuma and they had gone to Mars to retrieve the data VEGA would need to evaluate the Slayers illness, Tango and Impulse from Hermitcraft had come onto the Fortress and brought Zedaph, they accidentally released demons inside of the Fortress which had led to the powerout. The Slayer was feverish, Impulse had gotten his leg injured in the fights, EX was heavily injured from their adventures on Mars and Xisuma had sustained wounds as well, most notably when he had fixed the power supply. Bartholomew the Gargoyle was still on the ship. 

After evaluation, VEGA tried to organize everyone in a way that would get medical attention to the injured as quickly as possible. He guided Zedaph and Tango to bring Xisuma to the Medbay first. Xisuma could barely keep himself on his feet, and he all but keeled onto the medical bed in the middle of the room. VEGA took it upon himself to treat Xisuma with the robot limbs that were suspended from the ceiling, since he had to cauterize the large wound on Xisuma’s stomach. Fortunately, he had medical grade lasers for this exact purpose. Unfortunately, Xisuma passed out at some point during the process. VEGA decided to let him rest and instructed Tango, who had stayed with the admin, to properly bandage the wounds with clean fresh bandages from the Medbay. Xisuma's vitals were stabilizing, and when they were done VEGA was 94% certain he would make a full recovery in the appropriate time frame. They unfortunately didn't have any health packs on board they could use, or things would be a lot easier.

Meanwhile, Zedaph walked back to the airlock to Impulse, EX, and the Slayer, guided by VEGA to keep him out of the other demon's way. After explaining the situation, the three younger men managed to transport the Slayer one floor up into his office. It was quite a procedure - it needed all three of them, as the Slayer wasn't responsive in the slightest. At least he had visibly calmed down upon hearing VEGA's voice again. Tango, who had carried (or rather, dragged) Xisuma, joined them, bringing along as many medical supplies as he could transport. Soon enough, EX was properly bandaged around his head, shoulder, and entire torso, Impulse had his leg wound stapled shut and bandaged so it could heal, and Zedaph had put one of the colorful bunny band-aids they found straight across his forehead. 

VEGA had offered Team ZIT the guest room, but everyone had more than quickly agreed that they would all stay in the same room. There were still stray demons on the ship, after all, and none of them felt like being separated again. Thus, Zedaph and Tango had made another errand run to the guest room at the other side of the ship, carrying back two mattresses and as many blankets and pillows as their tired arms could manage. 

For now, VEGA had shut the doors to his processing chamber, and locked up the central console with the wires. This way, Bartie the Gargoyle couldn't escape from the room even if it wiggled free of it's cupboard, and the damage it could do was minimized. Still, they should decide on what to do with Bartie rather sooner than later. However, right now they all needed some rest. Impulse had brought along Xisuma's helmet, and with EX's commentary they managed to retrieve the data chip in it and plug it into the Doomslayers PC for VEGA to access and analyze. 

VEGA had locked the doors to the Slayers office, and was keeping tabs on the activity in the entire Fortress, especially the demons on the lower levels. The office was divided into two parts: the top section had the Slayer's collections of weapons, guitars, action figures and comics, while the lower section had a small private forgery, a massive PC setup with appropriate speakers, and a large rock. The hermits had spread out the pillows and blankets on the lower level, nestled between the Slayer's roaring gaming PC and old praetor suit models. They had to push aside a medium sized anvil and a few stray nunchucks. 

They had rested Xisuma on one of the mattresses first, making sure he was gently tucked into a blanket and comfortable. He didn't stir, seemingly asleep. Everyone agreed that he absolutely deserved the rest. Despite the fact that he was currently unconscious, they could see the dark bags under his eyes even in the dim light of the room. He was in a rough state. Sure, his wounds were cleaned and bandaged, and the blood and grime on his face had mostly been wiped off, but he still didn't look good, covered in bruises and minor scratches. They put him in a black shirt with a print on it they found in this room - it was a little big even on him, so it could only belong to the Slayer - and put a blanket over him so Xisuma wouldn't freeze overnight. He was in a corner of the room, and the other's gave him some distance so they wouldn't disturb him. 

The Slayer didn't really fit onto any of the mattresses, so they just laid his head on a pillow and covered his body with one of the blankets. 

He was kind of trying to shuffle and shift himself into place, but his movements were discoordinated and weak. Sweat was pouring down his forehead, and he didn't look any of them in the eyes - whether this was on purpose or just because he was delirious, the hermits did not know. Impulse was currently carefully helping him lie down. The Slayer was pretty much a - very heavy - dead weight, going limp as Impulse tried to pull him onto a pillow at least partially. 

Suddenly, Impulse flinched back, yelping. 

"Ow! What the what!" He complained, shaking his hand and looking at it intently. 

"What happened?" Tango asked, currently setting up a nice cozy spot on the metal floor for himself and Zed. 

EX was startled and curious as well, coming over to Impulse while propping himself up on a desk. 

"I caught my hand on something sharp." Impulse said, wary. He leaned closer again, inspecting the Slayer's shoulder despite the sheer disgust that radiated off the mass of flesh. "Weird, he's not wearing any armor anymore, there shouldn't be any-.... uh." His eyes widened and interrupted himself, quickly drawing back. 

"...Tell me there's no teeth in there."

Mortified, Zedaph leaned over to have a look. "Unfortunately  _ that  _ would be a lie." He then answered, deadpan. His forehead crinkled in worry, threatening to let the band-aid fall off again. With a nervously beating heart, he inspected the demonic growth on the Slayer's right side closer. The tendrils were agressively red and purple, still mushy and all over the place, looking like one of these creepy kinds of fungus he had seen in books. They spread over his skin,  _ out of _ his skin. It seemed... somewhere between slick and slimy. The texture seemed like something Zedaph would like to never actually feel. Impulse however seemed to have brushed over it briefly, as he was wiping his hands on his pants. There was indeed a minor scratch on his palm. Zedaph quickly came across what caused it - embedded within the flesh, right on the Slayer's shoulder, he saw something white. Within a small hole between the tendrils, he could see teeth, of the sharp and pointy variety. They were angled wildly, and small, just about long enough to stick out a bit and for Impulse to snag his hands on. Either way, Zedaph could not deny that there were, in fact, teeth growing on the Slayer. 

"Yeah thats, uh." Even Zedaph was at a loss for words. " _ Bad _ ?"

"Oh my god, that is disgusting..." Impulse winced at the sight, his stomach turning. He was glad he hadn't eaten anything in a while. 

"What do you mean? I don't see anything." Tango commented while pushing aside Impulse, who was more than glad to take a step away from the Slayer. 

"Yeah, but you're also  _ half blind _ in a dimly lit room." Zedpah patted Tango on his head. 

"Hey now, it's not that bad, you know, i can still see..." Tango's complaints trailed off as he watched EX. Instead of looking at his father, EX had deliberately curled up on one of the other mattresses. Tango knew he must've been tired, but he also assumed that he was purposefully avoiding his dad. It made him sad. 

"EX, do you not want to see your father's shoulder teet- OOF!" 

Impulse had punched Tango in his shoulder, stopping him from continuing his sentence. "Tango, please." He reprimanded him. He sounded lighthearted, but his eyes were serious. 

Tango scratched his head. "Right, Sorry..."

"Can we go back to the part where he has  _ teeth  _ growing on his skin?" Zedaph was still distraught.

"Are you.... uh, sure that it's really teeth?" Tango asked, just to make sure. "That can't be right."

"Well, it's pointy and sharp and definitely doesn't belong in a shoulder, that much is sure." Zedaph decided not to further look at said shoulder, and covered it and the Slayer that it was attached to, with a blanket. 

"Shoulder teeth aside..." Impulse muttered, freaked out. "Do you think he'll be fine for the night?"

"I mean, rest will be good for him, right? He's still feverish." Tango said. They had put a damp towel over the Slayer's forehead at some point, but with his constant shifting it had not stayed there for very long. 

"I hope so..." Zedaph agreed.

He looked down at the man, then took a few steps back to give him some space. The Slayer was rested right under his guitar collection, near the door. He looked... horrible. Zedaph took one more step back. The sense of safety that had been radiating off the Slayer earlier when they had first seen him had  _ turned _ , somehow. Zed felt a little uneasy at the sight of this huge man with the disgusting red growth on his side. He wasn't scared, per se - but he was filled with a very vague bad feeling, one that he couldn't quite place his finger on. He glanced over to Tango and Impulse. The latter had been wary and tentative around the Slayer from the beginning, and Zedaph assumed it was due to Impulses demon nature. Tango just seemed to take pity on the Slayer, a heavy empathetic frown had carved itself into his forehead. 

The crinkles disappeared when Tango let out a huge yawn, and Zedaph was so tired felt himself sway on his feet as well. 

VEGA's voice came through the ceiling speakers, crystal clear. "I recommend you all rest for a while, you need the sleep."

"What about you, VEGA?" EX asked, quietly. Of course he would never admit it, but he had been just as worried about the AI as his brother. "What's your status? Can you give me an overview?"

"It would be my pleasure, EX. Running self diagnosis... VEGA status: Online. Fortress Synchronisation: Desync. Current local time: 6:02 am. Fortress of Doom status: Critical systems online. Running systems scan. O2 Filters: Online. Gravity Generator: Online. Outer Hull: Online. Shields: Minimum Capacity. 15%. Basic Electricity: Online. Advanced sensor array: Offline. Portal: Offline. Praetor suit status: Unknown. Praetor X: Compromised. Praetor V: unknown. Warning: Cannot access the Slayer's full vitals. Cannot access Xisuma's vitals. Cannot access Evil Xisuma's vitals. Desync in memory log."

EX tilted his head as he listened. He was tired as well, but tried his best to listen to what VEGA listed. He talked fast and quietly, his words slurring together due to his sheer exhaustion. "Not much we can do about me 'n X and dad right now. We should fix the electricity first. And see how we can help dad-..."

"I am already analyzing the data you retrieved from Mars as we speak. However, this will take a few hours. You should use this time to sleep and rest - I will keep track of the ship and the Slayer during this. Also, the electricity distribution is not ideal, but this is not a pressing matter. All critical functions are running, and I have enough power to analyze the data."

EX seemed only half convinced, but also could not fight against the heavy tiredness in his limb and the dizzyness he experienced every time he moved his head. "Mh... What... What happened to Bartie, VEGA?"

"There are demonic life signals on the ship, including the individual you have titled 'Bartholomew'. How do you wish me to proceed? Save for a Cacodemon in the hallway, they are currently all contained and should not be a threat to you."

"Bartie...." EX muttered, forlorn. He tried to think of something, but his head came up empty. "Ugh, I'm..." He was interrupted by a yawn. 

"You should rest, EX. We can think of what to do with the demons later." Impulse gently suggested. He was tired as well, his leg injury seemingly draining all his energy, despite the fact that the pain was less sharp now that it was wrapped up and treated. He sat down nearby EX. Besides the one Xisuma laid on, they only had one more mattresse, and Tango and Zedaph insisted on sleeping on the floor so EX and Impulse could share the other matress. Impulses limbs felt like lead. He leaned his shoulder against the desk next to him, sluggishly pulling a blanket over himself. 

VEGA had to agree with the hermit. "He is right, EX. You've sustained severe injuries, sleep will do you good."

EX gave a small defeated nod while he gingerly laid down on his corner of the mattress, making himself as small as possible. A small, bittersweet smile crept onto his lips as he wrapped his blanket tightly around himself. VEGA's words reminded him of when they had been little kids, and VEGA and the Slayer had constantly had to wrangle them into bed. It had been nice. EX half wished he could go back to these times. 

Now here he was, tired to no end, dizzy, room still blurring and warping when he turned his head. He carefully made sure not to lay on his mangled shoulder, but his other injuries made it hard to find proper comfort. The blanket and pillow helped, however, and he barely was aware of any pain at this point. His eyelids were heavy. Too tired to even care about the presence of the hermits in the room and Impulse next to him, he slipped into a dreamless sleep almost instantly after closing his eyes. 

Impulse looked at him in thoughts, spacing out. EX was really different from how he had always presented himself on the Hermitcraft server - he seemed reasonable, scared, tired, just like everyone else. The thought made Impulse smile as well. He remembered his one interaction with EX in season 6, where EX had acquired a season pass for iTrade from him. Even back then, he hadn't seemed... terrible, so to say. Now that Impulse knew more about him, he could really see himself becoming pals with the man he always only thought of as Xisumas evil clone. Besides, he could kind of relate to EX's story. After all, both of them were demons.

Impulse had a feeling EX thoughts the same, even though he wouldn't admit it. 

With a sigh, he settled down, resting his head on a pillow. He turned over, looking at Tango and Zedaph. Zedaph was currently piling up pillows in the corner with the large rock in the Slayer's room. He did it best to make it a sleepable space, despite the fact there weren't any mattresses left over. Tango saw Impulse looking at him, and came over. 

"I think I'm gonna... sleep, as well." Impulse said, voice quiet. 

Tango dragged a blanket over him despite Impulses mild protests, and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "That's probably for the best, yeah. What's your leg doing?"

"Hurts." Impulse answered with a shrug. "It's better now, though. I'm not feeling the best but... ah, you know. All that could've been done has been done about it."

Tango tilted his head, considering if he was satisfied with the answer. Finally, he nodded with a sigh. "I s'pose. Yeah, it's probably best if you just rest now."

"As should you. And Zed." Impulse added on with a slightly smug smile, the last part directed at Zedaph, who looked up at the mention of his name, feigning offense.

"Me? I've never been less tired!" Zedaph answered, full of lies. He rubbed his eyes, then stared from the pillow pile on the floor, to Tango, and back. "Gonna sleep just to make sure, though."

Impulse snorted, snuggling further into his blanket. It was starting to warm up with his body heat, and it was suddenly very comfortable and tempting... He was aware it was early morning already, but his body seemed to be grateful for the soft mattress and pillows it was nested in. His limbs soon felt so heavy it would have been a crime to attempt to move them, and he barely noticed Tango moving away from him as he fell asleep. 

"Alright, lets sleep as well, Zed. Wish i could fall asleep as easily as that guy." With a gentle smile and a shake of his head, Tango gesticulated to Impulse.

"Yeah..." Zed agreed, sounding a bit half-hearted. 

The two hermits clambered on top of the pillow pile, then just let themselves flop into it. Zedaph immediately found a blanket to wrap into, and Tango found it as well. After a short tug of war that was only interrupted by Zedpah's horns clanking against the metal floor and them freezing up in fear of having woken any of the others, Tango let Zedaph have most of the blanket and only laid the end over his torso. He did get a majority of the pillows, though. They didn't have a mattress, but by rustling around and laying limbs over the other they eventually found a comfortable position with only their legs laying on the blank floor. 

"Nighty night, Zed." Tango finally muttered, defeated. 

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the Cocodemons bite." Came Zed's hazy reply. "Or whatever they were called anyways..."

Tango snickered quietly. "Good night, VEGA." He then added on. 

"Night VEGA!" Zed echoed him. 

VEGA was pleasantly surprised. "Good night, Tango, Zedaph. I hope you rest well."

Both hermits closed their eyes, and silence sank itself over the room. It wasn't complete silence, though. Breathing was heard, the occasional rustle of blankets, a soft snore somewhere from where EX and Impulse slept, the gentle hum of the castle electronics and VEGA. It seemed peaceful. The doors were closed, so no sounds from other parts of the ship could disturb the sleeping. Only the heavier breathing and shifting from the Doomslayer on the other side of the room disturbed the peace. 

Zedaph found himself focusing on it, unable to put his mind to rest. Sure, he was snuggled into his pillows, with his half of the blanket drawn up to his chin nice and cozy. Yet, his eyes were still wide open. He was unable to relax, thoughts and images haunting his memories. After a few minutes of careful consideration, he turned sideways, facing Tango next to him. "...Tango?" He whispered, hesitant. 

"Yeah?" Tango's quiet answer came immediately. He didn't sound like someone who was just about to sleep, either. 

Zedaph sighed, pulling his blanket closer and wrapping it around his fists. "Do you... Is it weird that I'm kind of scared by Xisuma?"

Fabric was rustled on Tango's side, and Zedaph was faced with the low glim of his red mechanical eyes. He could see the shutters wide open to accustom for the darkness, and a circular part on the insides was rotating slowly. Zedaph had always been more fascinated than weirded out by Tango's eyes. However, now the glow of the redstone was low, and it barely gave off enough light to reach Tango's eyebrows. They were softly drawn together in worry. 

"Cause of all the blood, right? I don't think that's weird, Zed." Tango sounded unusually thoughtful. 

Zed nodded, drawing up his shoulders. "I'm just... he was so mad at us, and when we went after him there was so much demon blood everywhere... That must've been a lot of demons, Tango. Do you think he... killed all of them?"

"It... seems like it." Tango tried to choose his words carefully, but he was affected as well. "I don't know how he did it... He was so worn out, It's hard to believe that that was all him. It's not like X anyways..."

"I know, right?" Zedaph was quiet for a minute. His finger's were fiddling with a bit of fur. "...I'm worried he'll do that to Impulse, Tango." His voice was barely a whisper, but Tango could very well sense the fear and insecurity that laid behind it. 

"Ah... Hey, Zed, I'm sure that won't be the case." Tango's voice was heavy as well. "You saw how out of it he was earlier, right? And he tried to apologize and everything. I'm... sure whatever he did to those demons, he won't do it to Impulse."

"Do you think he killed them with bare hands? I didn't see any of his weapons near him, and he had so much blood on him..."

"Xisuma? I mean, he has the muscles, but, to be fair, he's not a master PvP-er by any means." Tango answered with a light chuckle. "Do you really think he's capable of that?"

Zedaph let out a nervous giggle, but wasn't convinced. "I-... Man, Tango, I don't know! I've never seen him like that before..." He pulled up the blanket he was still holding in a vice grip, hiding his face in it. "I've never seen him like that." He repeated, gentle, and now muffled by the fabric. 

Tango reached over and awkwardly wrapped an arm around his friend, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm... I'm sure it's fine. He may have looked... different, and I don't know what's up with that, but he's still the same Xisuma we know, right?"

"Is he, though?" Zed asked. The giggling was gone from his voice, and he sounded rather desperate now. 

"May i add something on that?" VEGA asked, speaker volume turned low. Tango looked up, then remembered there was no face to look at. 

"Of course, VEGA... what happened back there?" He asked the AI.

"Well, I don't have records on what happened before my reboot, but I did check out the security camera footage of the time before." VEGA replied. 

"Mh-hm." Tango made to signal VEGA to go on. 

"After leaving the airlock room, Xisuma retrieved and used a berserk powerup. This gives the user enormous strength, enough to kill demons with their bare fists, but also sends them onto a murderous rampage. It also heavily drains the users energy. I assume Xisuma saw it the best way to quickly get rid of the demons, although  **_I_ ** would have advised him against using it if i had been online at the point." VEGA decided to skip on any kind of 'but nobody is listening to me anyways, it seems' comment.

Zedaph had uncovered his face again, looking thoughtful. 

"So what I'm trying to say to you: Xisuma had not been quite himself when he got rid of all these demons in the hallways. If he had not used the powerup, he would have carefully planned his moves and used the weapons to precisely kill the demons instead of this carnage. I've seen him do so in the past."

Zedaph and Tango shared a look. 

That  _ did  _ sound a lot more like the Xisuma they knew. 

"What about his face?" Zedaph asked. "He... well, he yelled at us."

"I assume that what you saw was Xisuma's Makyr DNA showing. This usually happens when he gets angry - I've witnessed it a few times. It started when he was 17 years old. I recommend you ask him about it yourself once you're fully rested."

"So, he's not gonna be angry at us like this again?" Zedaph's voice had stopped quivering somewhat, but he still sounded insecure. 

"I believe not. Earlier, Xisuma must've been hurt, tired, and upset by his brother not telling him about Bartholomew the Gargoyle, not to mention the fight EX and the Slayer have had. I'm sure Xisuma regrets his words - you should talk to him in the morning."

Tango nodded once. "That sounds like a plan."

"Thank you, VEGA." Zedaph felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. In particularly hearing about the berserk powerup relieved him - the thought of his friendly kind Xisuma murdering demons this gruesomely on a normal day was a bit disturbing. He was glad this was not the case. 

VEGA was right - Everything else could be cleared in the morning. 

"Mn, I think I can sleep now, Tango." Zedaph muttered, pulling more of the blanket closer to him. 

Tango managed to grab the tail end of it before Zed had hogged all of it. "Good! I can as well, if you leave me some blanket."

Zedaph snickered, because of course he had done so on purpose. After both of them had arranged the blanket properly, they closed their eyes again, now with less heavy thoughts on their minds. 

VEGA turned off the dim lights in the room completely. 

"Good night, friends." 

* * *

Xisuma peeled his eyes open, sleepy. Heavily disoriented, he tried to sit up, but was stopped by pain and a tangle of blankets all around him. He stayed still, blinking heavily. Where was he? The darkness of the room was only broken up by the light coming in from space through the window, stars sparkling and twinkling behind the soft blue glow of the Fortress' shields and windows. Xisuma relaxed at the sight. After his eyes had gotten used to the low light, he looked at the room he was in.

It was his father's office, but several pieces of furniture had been pushed aside to make room for piles of pillows and blankets. He could make out figures laying in them and sleeping. Two people were on the other side of the desk, limbs tangled and snoring being heard, and two people were on a mattress where his Dad would usually repair his praetor suit. Xisuma could make out Impulses dark shirt, and a mess of long white hair. A relieved sigh escaped the admin's lips. All the hermits were here, sleeping peacefully, and he could vaguely make out the rising and sinking of their chests. 

A low noise alerted him to his left. Up the stairs, he saw a figure, illuminated by tiny blue LED lights in the floor, almost forming a pathway. Heavy armored boots treaded carefully enough to barely make any sounds, despite the way his father swayed and was propping himself up on the wall as he was staggering towards the door. His outline was broken up and distorted, and Xisuma could hear him breathing heavily. He made his way over to the door, which opened automatically, and silently. The Doomslayer was swallowed by darkness as the door closed behind him and the small lights on the floor turned off. 

A smile was on Xisuma's lips as he settled his head down into the pillows again. To be fair, he was relieved to see his father up on his own legs again. Over the events on Mars and his rage he had almost forgotten how much he worried about him. His brain was too tired to ask why he was leaving the room - maybe he just wanted to use the bathroom or grab a drink. Xisuma let out a sigh. He didn't know how he got into this room or what exactly happened since he had passed out, but it seemed like things were taken care of for now and he was allowed a few more hours of rest. He could need it, for sure. 

The admin rested one hand over his bandaged midsection and pulled up his covers again, feeling cozy. His brain was still sleepy, so it was no problem for him to close his eyes again and fall back asleep to the soft snoring and breathing of his friends and family. 


	19. The Slayer finds his common sense again... maybe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to my beta readers!
> 
> cw: violent thoughts

VEGA kept tabs on everyone once they were all asleep. He ran a script that alerted him to every little change in the camera footage of that room, so he could check on them if anything moved. He set up algorithms to track everyone's vitals as well as he could.

Then, he got to work.

First, he needed to take care of the research data from Olivia Pierce. He had told the Hermits that it would need a few hours - but really, that had been a lie. He was done with the analysis in about 7 minutes and 35 seconds. However, VEGA wanted everyone to rest and sleep. This was why he had told them he needed several more hours than he did. Of course, he didn't like lying, but it was fine with him if it was for the sake of others, especially those he cared about so deeply. 

Of course, the Slayer would get worse over the night.

VEGA hated that, but there was little he could do. With nearly everyone injured, there was no possibility anyone could help the Slayer in any way, shape, or form, let alone carry him to the place where he would most likely need to go. 

Which seemed to shape up as Urdak. 

With distaste for his results, VEGA decided to run a few more research threads and analyses to see if there was any other option. 

The demonic infection on the Slayer seemed to be in full swing. It showed similar symptoms to the transformation of a human into a demon or Possessed, based on comparisons to Olivia Pierce's research. However, where a normal human would only have one or two hours before they were completely gone and transformed into a demon, this infestation seemed to progress much slower. Comparing results, VEGA calculated the Slayer would have about two more days before the change would be irreversible. 

Hence why he decided to let the others rest and take care of the Slayer in the morning. He still had some time. 

That didn't mean VEGA _liked_ seeing the Slayer like this. 

He kept a constant track on his vitals, seeing his pulse rise and sink in the restless state of half-sleep he was in. There wasn't much VEGA could do for him, especially with the Slayer not wearing his helmet. VEGA would love to talk to him to calm him down, but he only had the overhead speakers in the room available, and he didn't want to wake up the others either. 

So, unable to help him now, he tended to everything else he could do while the others were asleep. 

VEGA had a look at the log of what happened to the previous version of himself - it seemed there had been a power-out around 4am, and his entire program had crashed and corrupted, irreparably so. VEGA had tried to filter through it to learn something and prevent this from happening again, but any log that was written in all red with the function: "panic" at the top was lost hopes. After the crash, things had gotten even worse, and VEGA decided to sift through the garbled logs and encrypted and warped lines of code at a later date when he could allot more energy to it. 

He definitely needed to plan for future power-outs and crashes better. Maybe he could install an auto-reboot in case of a crash? He made a note of it. 

However, right now there were more important things to do. 

VEGA couldn't do much about the broken power distribution. Xisuma had fixed one of the eight wires that connected the power core to the general circuits of the ship - it was enough to bring the ship back online from emergency mode, but several power-intensive routines could not be run, like the full shield integrity or more extensive VEGA processes. VEGA couldn't fix the wires, since he had no physical body, but he started rewriting a few algorithms so the power that was available would be used optimally. 

His next task took him almost an hour - but that was just because he tried to do something about the demons. VEGA's best idea was to lure the remaining loose demons out of the common areas, back into the Ripatorium or at least a room he could lock properly. For that, he played voice samples through specific speakers of the Fortress. 

The Possessed in the Kitchen was easy enough to lure out. These kinds of demons were dumb, only relying on very basic senses and instincts. It stopped from mindlessly walking into the stove as VEGA opened the door and played a voice sample of human talk outside of the room. Groaning, the Zombie turned, and painstakingly slowly walked towards the source of noise. VEGA decided to deal with the demons one by one, as to not run into any troubles. He led the Possessed all the way down into the large room where one would enter the Ripatorium. The door to the actual demon prison was locked and had broken during the outbreak of demons earlier, but VEGA was fine with leaving the Possessed there and just denying it any way out of the room. 

He also successfully managed to lure the remaining Imp from the greenhouse - apparently it had killed the other Imp that had been with it. The demon followed VEGA's false lure into the same room as well, despite being a lot more wary than the Zombie. However, there was not much VEGA could do about the Cacodemon that was still ambling around in the tall room like an oversized bee. He managed to herd it downwards a bit, but against his hopes the three demons did not start infighting. Someone else would probably have to deal with them in the morning. 

They also had to decide what they would do with Bartholomew the Gargoyle. 

Once again, VEGA had the desire to sigh. 

The moment quickly passed as he noticed something in the office room where the others slept - the Slayer had started moving. 

* * *

Burning heat and freezing cold ran through the Slayer in waves, making him shiver and sweat. His head was thrumming, feeling like it was in the headlock of a baron of hell. His whole body strained and ached, and he felt like he was being torn apart at the seams. It hurt. 

He felt sick to his stomach, wanting to throw up.

Yet, he couldn't give in to unconsciousness. 

There were things to do. 

Prey to kill.

_Not this again. No Prey._

Yet, he felt the desire to kill, to rip them limb from limb, to feel their soft skin tear apart, to see their blood pool-

He blinked. Oh, maybe he should do that. 

It was dark in the room, and he could barely make out anything since the world did not want to stay still for him. 

Impatient, he growled. He should get going. Get killing.

_No, no! This was all wrong - he wasn't here to kill. He was here to rest._

When had he ever needed rest? He was the Hellwalker, he was Doom. Humans feared him. 

_They should not._

But they did, and it satisfied him greatly. 

The Slayer licked over his lips, propping himself up on one arm, struggling. He barely took note of the blanket slipping off of him. He started scanning the room, his mind set on finding his prey. 

He flinched, collapsing and curling together on the floor again. He tried his best to squeeze his eyes together as tightly as he could, not allowing himself to look at the people in this room, fearing what he would see.

_What he would do to them._

_This isn't right! I cannot hurt these people!_

But they weren't people - they were prey, weren't they? Driven, he opened his eyes again. His hands were shaking, and he turned them into fists so tightly his knuckles would've turned white if he wasn't deathly pale already. He looked around. 

One by one, he looked over the people sleeping. 

Not interesting, boring, maybe the injured one...?

_No! That was his son, Xisuma! He could not hurt him._

Another one, then. 

_He couldn't hurt any of them!_

Nevertheless, he continued looking over the people. There - blonde hair, soft and squishy, oh they would run and scream and cry!

 _I'm a danger_ , the Slayer realized in his haze. He was breathing heavily. 

That's right, he was a danger! And these people would learn to know just that. A grin split over the half of his face that wasn't overgrown yet. Something in his shoulder ground together as he propped himself up further. He made a step forwards, then forced himself to stop. 

_He needed to leave. Immediately._

But then his prey would escape - he couldn't allow that. 

Sweating bullets, the Slayer forced himself to turn left, facing the door. Not quite master over his limbs, he staggered a step forwards, keeping himself upright by the wall to his left. 

A row of blue LED's lit up on the floor in front of him. They formed a path to the door. The Slayer did not know what this meant, but something in his heart ached, a deep, familiar feeling. He turned off all conscient thought, allowing to lose himself in that comforting feeling, that bit of _sanity, that bit of family_.

_VEGA._

Numbing his thoughts, the Slayer managed to follow the lights, leaving through the open door. 

The air changed, and the smell of human prey was suddenly missing from his nose, making him itch to go back in there and finish the job. 

Yet, the door closed behind him. 

He dropped to the floor. Angry. _Relieved_.

"Slayer - what is happening? You seem... shaken, even when regarding your current state."

The voice was disrupting him, _soothing_ , trying to get him to lose his prey, _a friend, an anchor, something to hold onto..._

_VEGA._

Shaking, the Slayer raised his left hand. He did not have control over the other. 

_V-E-G-A,_ he signed.

"I am here, don't worry." VEGA tried to comfort him. "Can you tell me what you feel? That way, I can analyze the progression of your demonic-..." VEGA fell silent as the Slayer formed new letters with his hand.

K-I-L-L

"Kill? The demons on the ship? Do not worry, they ar-..."

N-O

"Oh."

What was he doing out here? Dealing with this irritating AI was very unnecessary. Swerving, the Slayer turned around, somehow managing to pull himself back to his own feet. He took a step forward, attempting to go back into the Hellwalker's office. The door didn't open. Sluggishly, he raised a hand, trying to pry his fingernails into where the intricate metal pieces of the door slotted together. To his _relief_ and anger, the door didn't budge.

"...I think it's best if you don't go back in there, Slayer." VEGA said, his voice quiet. 

The Slayer heard the distant humming in the wall kicking up a notch - _somewhere deep in his insides he knew it to be one of VEGA's quirks whenever he was thinking_. _Processing_. The voice in the ceiling was wrong, though. It would be good if he went back inside, splendid even. How else could he sink his teeth into the soft fur of the skittish human?

 _He needed to go_.

"Slayer? Do you hear me?" The voice asked again. The Slayer scoffed, then unwillingly shook his head. He felt nauseous to his very core. 

_M-E. A-W-A-Y_. He signed, his breath hitching as pain shot through him whenever he moved his right arm. 

His lungs felt constricted, and it was getting hard to breathe. 

_He took a step backwards._

Then he stopped, irritated. His prey would get away! He took a step towards the office door again, but the light in the hallway went dark on him. 

"Understood. Slayer, please follow the lights, will you? I will keep you safe."

The Slayer missed the worried tone of this weird metallic voice, but was instead distracted by a light at the left side of the hallway he was in. With heavy steps, he was staggering towards it, feet almost on autopilot. The halls led him in a half-circle, then the ceiling opened up into a larger room. Weird machinery was in the middle. The Slayer's clarity returned somewhat as he recognized the bright blue glow as the Fortress' 3D printer. 

_He felt a knot in his stomach, and it sickened him. He did not know whether it was the weird demon growth that was continuously spreading its reach over his body, or deep guilt for his thoughts and instincts - at this point, the two were inseparable. The Slayer tried to focus on VEGA, who was still talking to him, but his words did not register._ His brain was filled up with a constant urge for blood, lusting and hungering, far beyond anything that was within reason for him. 

He tripped as his feet brought him up a flight of stairs, ending up with his face first on the floor. His whole body felt like it was floating, his right side felt numb and very much not attached to himself anymore. Walking was hard, now that he wasn't powered by the sheer drive of killing and hurting his prey anymore. 

"You are doing wonderful, dear Slayer. It's just a little bit further."

_Somewhere in the Slayer's chest, there was a spark that was still going._

_He crawled forwards, clawing his way up the small staircase, his eyes set on the doors behind it. VEGA's voice warmed him, gave him enough strength to continue. He needed to get as far away from the kids as possible, and then VEGA could lock the door behind him._

_That was his plan._

He passed the small pedestral that had once homed the Unmakyr weapon, now housing useless memorabilia, looking like kid's scribbles. The weapon that had been here was terrifying, frankly, tearing through demons like it was nothing, destroying everything in its wake.... The Slayer didn't need weapons, anyways. Not a creature of **his** caliber. He was destruction incarnate, making humans quiver in fear - what would he need to use weapons for! Using bare claws was much more fun anyways. 

In his feverish rage, he only noticed the door closing behind him when it was too late.

No! With almost a growl, he threw himself against the metal door full force, pounding against it with his fists - but the ancient construct wouldn't budge. 

_Good_. 

Just a pebble in the path of his destruction.

The Slayer let himself loose on the door, punching, kicking, scratching at it until his fingers were bleeding raw and the red mass overgrowing his right arm was pulsating and throbbing. To top it all off, he even butted his head against the door with full force, resulting in a solid sounding ' **CLANG** ' and a splitting headache.

_Luckily, the door didn't have a dent._

Exhausted, the Slayer sank to the floor. 

_It was cold, and everything hurt. The colors were weird - all light was too bright, the textures too sharp in his eyes, everything grey-ish and odd. He closed his eyes to stop the incessant spinning, but the dizziness rose up from his stomach, getting stuck in his throat._

_He took a raspy breath._

_A crushing sense of loneliness tore over him. He was freezing on the metal floor, sweat on his skin exposed to the cold, his fingers numb and his shoulder paralyzed._

"Slayer? Do you hear me?"

_VEGA's voice was welcome, like a calm mountain lake in the bloodied ocean of his conscience._

_His thoughts and metaphors had stopped making sense long ago. He gave a small wave._

"Slayer, I have locked the door for now. It pains me, but it seems to be your wish."

_With the last shred of coherency he could muster, the Slayer gave an afforming nod._

"Xisuma, EX, and our visitors will be safe."

_The Slayer nearly collapsed from sheer relief. He let out a shaky breath, rolling over onto his back and sprawling out his limbs. The temperature of his body had turned once more, burning up again. He tried to get as much surface onto the cool floor as possible._

"May I ask about you, Slayer?" VEGA's voice was.... well, not like the Slayer had ever heard it. He raised his hand to sign.

_C-O-R-R-U-P-T-E-D._

_His eyes felt dry. Uncorruptible, Unyielding, Unrelenting - that's what they always called him, right? How pathetic he was now._

_W-E-A-K._

"I have analyzed your state, Slayer - I will try to keep myself short. You are experiencing demonic corruption, the process that would turn a human into a demon in hours. Considering your physique you are faring well better than any human ever would. I am currently coming up with a plan to purge the corruption from your body."

_Well, it wasn't like he had chosen to be like this, right?_

_The Slayer shivered, dark thoughts coming over him._

Why he was just lying on the floor motionless was beyond his comprehension, but it seemed like his body was simply too weak to continue. Maybe he should rest, so he would have enough energy to hunt down his targets and be ready as soon as this door would open.

Then he could kill.

Then he could rip, and tear.

Like he was made to be.

Like he should be doing. 

_His hand cramped up as he formed another word._

_S-C-A-R-E-D._

_Him, the Doomslayer. Scared._

_He was sure VEGA would laugh at him._

"That is perfectly understandable, Slayer." VEGA answered, his tone soft. "We will get through this together. I'm here for you, always."

_His heart ached._

_D-O-O-R?_

"I've locked the door, do not worry about it. I'm sorry I cannot provide you with more comfort in your current situation."

_The Slayer shook his head, this was fine. He didn't need comfort - VEGA's presence and the security of knowing the others were safe from him was enough comfort. He rolled over, dragging himself to the furthest corner of the room._

_K-E-E-P C-L-O-S-E-D._

"I willl keep the door closed until we have come up with a plan to get you to... To help you, or in case of an emergency."

_The Slayer tilted his head. He should not be let out even in case of an emergency - he was not sure if he could keep himself under control if he was in presence of the humans. However, at least for the next few hours, they should be safe._

In his core, there was still a turmoil raging, fueling his desire to kill. However, it was diluted by a deep exhaustion, and his fever made everything blurry and unclear. He tried to get himself up again, to take action - but he found himself unable to. 

_He forced himself to stay down, curling in on himself. His moment of clarity seemed to slip, drifting further into the background of his mind._

_B-A-D_. He signed to VEGA, referring to his state and the situation in general. 

"Please rest assured, Slayer. The boys will recover from their injuries just fine, and we will help you - I just ask you to hold on for a few more hours."

_The Slayer nodded._

_He could do that._

_What were a few more hours after millennia of waiting, being trapped in hell?_

After being betrayed by his own peers?

_He could wait a few more hours, however hard he had to cling onto his last sane thoughts. However, he remembered something._

_D-O-N-T T-E-L-L. He asked of VEGA._

"That's... Not very advisable, Slayer. Xisuma and EX need to know about your state. They would **want** to know."

_S-H-A-M-E-F-_

"There is nothing shameful about being ill, Slayer. Much alone about getting corrupted by the forces of hell. Many people have fallen to that yet, and none of them held out for as long as you did. It's human."

_The Slayer drew a face. He pointed to himself._

VEGA understood. "Yes, even **you**. You may be the Doomslayer, but to a degree, you're still human. I'm here to remind you, if you need me to."

_The Slayer managed a small smile, slightly sad._

"I will also leave out the details of your conditions to the boys if that makes you happy, but I will tell them how you are doing."

_The Slayer agreed. This was a fair compromise._

_There was a beat of silence._

"I worry about you, Slayer."

_His heart ached at VEGA's words._

_He didn't want VEGA to leave him._

_C-O-M-P-A-N-Y?_

"I will stay with you, always. I will be here the entire night, for as long as you need me. It would be my pleasure."

_Sighing in relief, the Slayer settled, leaning his back against the wall. Despite the seething knot in his middle, his emotions and thoughts were all a blur, melting into his fever. He was more than glad to listen to VEGA's voice, even if his words did not stick in his brain._

The urges in his instinct were still there, telling him to get out there and look for prey. To smell the blood, taste the flesh, feel bones splintering. 

To kill.

_He tried his best to ignore them._

_At least he wasn't alone._


	20. Xisuma eats some pancakes.

Xisuma woke up alone. 

He blinked his eyes, with a crick in his neck and his whole body a dull ache. The room was filled with a soft light, like one would expect the morning sun to make, but it was all artificially created. 

" _Hgnhb_ ." He let out a strained noise as he sat up, propping himself up with his arms. His muscles were sore like he had done a lot of physical work the day earlier without break. _Guess that is the case_ , he thought, very gingerly trying to stretch his arms and neck. His muscles protested. 

Where was he, anyways? What happened?

He tried to think back, but it was exhausting. Xisuma vaguely remembered the Medbay, the medical robot arms overhead being controlled by VEGA... He looked down on himself. He was wearing a large black T-Shirt with print that said 'UAC Mars - Summer 2148', a stylized Mars planet view next to it. It was hanging off his frame a little too wide, and as he lifted it he saw a vast amount of bandages wrapped around his body. They were still clean white and held together tightly, so he took that as a good sign. 

Xisuma did vaguely remember being in his Dad's office, but now that he was fully awake and it was also not as dark anymore, he could have a proper look around. He was on a mattress with a pillow and blanket, and there were more bundles of blankets on the floor all around the office. He didn't see anyone else, though. Still sleepy, he scratched his head. 

"Good morning, Xisuma." VEGA's voice greeted him, sounding calm and collected as usual. 

"Good morning, VEGA." Xisuma replied. "What's... going on? What time is it? Where are the others?"

"It's 13:37, you slept for about 7 hours and a few minutes. The others are up in the kitchen - they're attempting to cook. How are you feeling?"

Xisuma nodded and rolled his head and shoulders. It hurt, but other than the general soreness and the medium pain that was radiating from his midst, it was... manageable. He didn't feel dizzy or nauseous anymore, at least. Getting up still took a lot of effort, and he had to prop himself up on his fathers desk, but he did manage to get to his feet with a reasonable amount of stability. He took a deep breath, feeling the bandages tug around his chest as he did so. "A lot better." He answered VEGA, giving a small thumbs up. "I think I can manage."

"That's a relief to hear, Xisuma."

Xisuma took slow steps, carefully moving towards the door. It seemed okay. VEGA opened the door for him, and he started making his way up to the kitchen. Food sounded amazing right now - although he wasn't sure what to expect with EX, Tango, Impulse and Zed in the kitchen. Best to not get his hopes up too much. His thoughts wandered over the hermits, and he knew he had to apologize to them. In his head, he tried to arrange what he would say, what words to use. How would he even start making amends? He had been so unfair to all of them. It was probably best to address them one by one. He also knew he couldn't procrastinate on this - he had to talk to them first, before they took any further steps. His stomach upset, he stressed over what to say the entire way down into the common area.

Before he noticed, he was already standing in the correct hallway, the same that had been coated in blood yesterday. It seemed to have been somewhat cleaned up, but some spots and crusts in between the cracks were still remaining. X's stomach lurched at the sight. A small cleaning robot, not unlike a Roomba, was scuttling along. Xisuma had almost forgotten the Fortress had those. He was pretty sure VEGA and the Slayer had acquired them when he and EX had been small - considering the messes they had made sometimes, they had been direly necessary. It looked a little bit like the drones VEGA would use to provide the Slayer with weapons and weapon mods on his missions. The 'V' of the VEGA logo on it had been drawn over with sharpie by a child EX, naming it 'BEGA'.

Xisuma watched the small robot for a while, then turned to the door, his worry about meeting the others returning strongly. 

As the door to the kitchen opened, Xisuma was hit with a strong smell. It was unmistakably the sweet smell of syrup, the heavenly smell of pancake batter, and something that had been burnt to oblivion. Concerned, he stepped into the room. 

He saw Tango and EX at the kitchen counter, apparently attempting to make pancakes. EX, with the shoulder of his dominant arm injured and said arm in a makeshift sling, kept dropping things. A vast amount of batter on the floor and a pan with the handle broken off told Xisuma this had been an ongoing motif. Tango kept knocking over things as he reached for them, his hands and forearms crusted in batter. As he heard the door open, he turned around. 

"Xisuma! You're up!" He was joyful, but Xisuma was mildly shocked by his face. His eyes were grey-ish instead of red, only a very low glim of color in the middle. Based on what he knew about Tango's eyes, Xisuma was pretty certain his vision at this point was monochrome and heavily desaturated, and very blurry and dark. He frowned. 

Impulse was near the two cooking Hermits, very concerned. He had his chair pulled up right next to the counter. His bandaged leg was propped up on a second chair, but he kept trying to get up and sat back down whenever something got knocked over or dropped to the floor. He was clearly nervous over the two of them around the hot stove, even more so with their current state. The room was filled with constant "Watch out"'s and "Not that!"'s from Impulse, but Tango and EX kept pushing him back into his chair whenever he tried to help, refusing his aid. 

Zedaph, meanwhile, was sitting at the kitchen table. He was excitedly awaiting pancakes, fork and knife in his hands, wiggling in his seat. Currently, he was chatting with VEGA. 

Xisuma couldn't help but smile at the sight, despite the chaos. He was very much still nervous about talking to them, though. His crippling sense of guilt towards his friends had only grown during the night, and he quickly looked away as all eyes turned to him as he entered the room. 

"Good morning, peeps." He greeted them softly, still standing in the doorway. 

"Good Morning, Xisuma!" Zedaph greeted him, unusually cheerful considering the situation.

Impulse gave him a look with a knowing smile, then picked up a plate with finished pancakes to put them down on the table. "Before you say anything - I can tell by your face, Xisuma - Before you say anything, sit down and have some food, will ya?"

"I..." Xisuma was a bit flabbergasted. 

Tango was quickly by his side and pushed him over to the table by the middle of his back. "There, there. Want some coffee?" He asked, wildly waving his arms in the general direction of his own mug of coffee.

"Uh... Listen..." Xisuma started again, but this time was interrupted by EX. 

His brother picked up a cup from the machine in the corner, which was designed to prepare all sorts of drinks by the press of a button. "VEGA already started making this before you came." EX said, quietly. Xisuma noticed he was wearing an apron, one of the ones that the Slayer has gifted them as teenagers when they would cook and bake together as a family. The black apron with the edgy red design was way short for EX's adult frame now. 

Xisuma looked at the cup EX had placed in front of him. It was a lovely black tea, just the right temperature to start sipping it immediately. He wrapped his hands around it, staring into the liquid. Once more, he tried to start, but Zedaph shoved a plate under his nose. 

"Here you go, Xisuma. I picked out the second-least burnt pancake for you." 

Xisuma unwillingly snorted in amusement, but didn't touch the plate. Instead, he looked up, folding his hands properly in his lap and wringing them together nervously. 

"Okay, guys, please listen to me." He started out, clearing his throat. 

"It's fine." Tango said, waving his hands. "You should eat first."

"No, no. I don't wanna let this sit, I gotta say something first." Xisuma looked from Tango to Impulse, who nodded. "I was... unfair to all of you. I sincerely apologize.” 

“Tango, Impulse, I should not have yelled at you. You got hurt, and I should have made sure you were fine before all that. I was... I was getting too worked up about this, and should have remained calm. Zedaph, you as well. I'm sorry you all had to see me like this."

"Hey, X, it's fine." Impulse said, gently. "You had a lot going on. And... you know, you weren't wrong! We should have listened to you, we shouldn't have messed around on the Fortress, and we definitely shouldn't have brought Zed. You weren't in the wrong."

"Yeah, yeah." Tango agreed.

"...But I should have calmly reminded you, and not let my anger and frustration out on you guys. You have been through enough as well. I'm apologizing for this."

"Apology accepted." Zedaph simply stated before anyone else could say anything. He had laid down his cutlery and was looking quite serious. "Xisuma, I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty scared of you and your weird face, especially after seeing all that demon blood."

Xisuma flinched, tilting his head in shame. However, Zedaph continued before he could comment on it. 

"But you did what you could. You helped us out, even though you were mad at us and hurt already. And in the end, it turned out okay! To be honest, it's a relief to see you back up on your feet and all." Zedaph looked down, a bit hesitant. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "Also, I do feel a bit better now that we're here and talking..." He added quietly, with a soft smile. 

"I'm... sorry you had to witness that." Xisuma hung his head low, ashamed. He wasn't exactly proud of the rampage he had gone on in the night. Usually, that wasn't his style... He also couldn't quite remember everything, but he knew he used the berserk powerup. Based on past experiences, he knew how much carnage that caused. Whatever Zed had seen, it must have scared him, badly. 

"VEGA said you weren't quite yourself." Impulse stated, scooting over to the table with his chair to give Zed a reassuring pat on his arm. He grimaced as he set down his injured leg, then looked up to Xisuma again. 

"Yeah... I'm sorry for running off and trying to take care of things myself. That... wasn't my best move, to be fair. We could have planned a bit and done this together, but I tried doing everything myself because I was so angry."

"And that's when you used that beserkificator?" Tango asked. He gave up on squinting at the frying pan contents, and sat down with the rest of them. EX remained standing at the stove, looking unsure of the situation. 

"Yes. I can tell you about it sometime later, but, uh..." Xisuma turned around, looking at EX. His brother quickly looked away, trying to rescue the poor excuse of a pancake that was burnt to the bottom of the frying pan. Straining, Xisuma got up, walking over to him. Team ZIT looked at each other and, without words, agreed on leaving the two of them a bit of space and silence. Zedaph and Tango began scarfing down pancakes, while Impulse had half an eye on EX and X. 

"EX..." Xisuma started, nervously poking at a bandage wrapped around his arm. "I'm..." He didn't know how to continue.

EX turned off the stove and propped himself up on the kitchen counter, still not looking at Xisuma. His long hair was back into being tied into a loose ponytail so it wouldn't disturb him while cooking, only interrupted by the bandages around his head. Xisuma spotted a small bloodstain on the back of his head. Evil Xisuma's shoulder and arm were still in a sling, and Xisuma felt guilt crawling over his spine as he took it all in. He should have been there to protect EX on Mars...

Not to mention all the things he had said to him afterwards. 

"I would like to apologize to you. I'm…” He wrangled his mind for words, knowing he’d have to say something sooner rather than later. “I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have. A lot of things that hurt you, and that I knew would hurt you. About demons, in particular.”

EX turned around, looking at him now. Xisuma was crushed by how… hurt his brother looked. There was a glint of fear in EX’s magenta-tinted eyes, and Xisuma’s heart ached when he noticed it. He gulped, hiding his hands behind his back. 

“I was… shocked to hear about that Gargoyle, and that you’ve been sheltering him.” He continued, forcing himself to look into EX’s eyes despite how much he was ashamed of himself. “I only saw the bad in that, the fact that it was… a demon, and the fact that you went behind dad’s back. I never stopped to consider your feelings, V, or even your point of view. I guess… I think I was scared and angry because I let you get hurt by other demons on Mars, as well.”

EX didn’t answer yet, he just rubbed his shoulder at the mention of Mars. His eyes were wandering, from Xisuma’s face, to his hands, to the floor, and back. He was clearly uncomfortable. 

“And… mentioning Dad was a low blow from my side.” Xisuma continued, a bit helpless. He fiddled with the bandages around his knuckles, from where he had punched the glass in Hayden's office. “I’m… I was… maybe still am, upset, because Dad puts all this energy and time into stopping demons. It’s kind of his whole deal, so I didn’t like that you fostered a demon behind his back. However-” He quickly added, pained by the fresh grief on EX’s face. 

“However, I didn’t consider your side. You’re part demon, and that’s not a bad thing - I’m glad to have you as my brother the way you are, EX.”

“Do you mean that?” EX finally interrupted him, voice a bit rough. 

“Of course I do.” Xisuma answered without hesitating. “I apologize for using it against you in my anger. I truly do not mind that you’re part demon - I mean, look at you! You’re my brother! Look at Impulse, my friend, who is also a demon! I do respect dad’s work and his point of view, but I also believe in judging a person after meeting them. And you, V, I’ve known you my whole life. You may be rash and reckless at times, but you’re not a bad person, despite how much you tell yourself in silence and despite how much you try to convince everyone else. I care about you, V. And I apologize for everything I’ve said last night.”

EX nodded, sniffling slightly. “Thank you, X.” He started meekly.He rubbed over his eyes, looking to the floor. “I’m sorry I kept this from you. The fight, and Bartie. I… I was scared you’d get angry at me, too.”

“I’m sorry your fears got proven right, V. They shouldn’t have been. I am sorry for losing my composure, there’s really no way for me to make that right by you.”

“Will you still help me… with helping dad…?” EX whispered. He sounded very lost and scared. 

“Of course I will. He’s my dad too, and we need to sort out what happened between you once he’s better again.”

EX didn’t seem quite convinced. 

“Come here, you.” Xisuma said heartily, opening his arms to offer a hug. 

EX hesitated for a second, looking at Xisuma’s face. X smiled at him gently, and EX took the step towards him and wrapped his arms around Xisuma’s chest, mindful of both of their injuries. 

Xisuma let out a breath of relief, soft feelings flooding through him upon knowing EX still trusted him and cared for him. He reciprocated the hug, encasing EX in his arms and tenderly resting one hand on top of his head, mildly ruffling his hair. He rested his head on his brother's shoulder, and felt EX to the same. 

“We’ll help Dad, don’t worry. We’ll get through this.”

EX nodded into his chest, too emotional to speak. 

VEGA gently interrupted their hug. “I’m glad to see you boys make up with each other.”

X nodded, slowly drawing back from the hug. He rubbed over his eyes. EX gave him a very small smile, then took a step back as well. 

“There is much to do. You should both have breakfast first, boys.”

Xisuma chuckled. “Yes, VEGA.”

"On a little heavier note, I also recommend you decide on what to do with Bartholomew the demon before the Slayer wakes back up. I think I know what his suggestion would be, but EX, I believe you are emotionally attached to this demon."

EX evaded any eye contact, picking at a bandage. 

"May I propose a compromise?" VEGA asked gently, causing EX to look up. "I'm sure you are aware that we cannot keep a feral demon on this Fortress, right, EX?"

EX tilted his head. He sighed, then he looked up. "I-... Dad wouldn't allow it."

"EX, he's a demon." Impulse jumped in. "And not the nice kind you and I am - from the sounds of it, he's... well."

Surprised at the gentle reassurement, EX looked at Impulse. Finally, he slowly nodded. "I know... I do think Bartie's adorable, but... you guys are right. He's not what I'm making him out to be. We.... We should let him go. I... I don't think I can bring it over myself to kill him, though." He swallowed heavily and looked up to Xisuma. His face was full of guilt, and fear. 

"We might not have to." VEGA intervened immediately, before Xisuma had to say anything. "I have selected a few spots with stray demons that are not adjacent to any human or other kind of civilization. Once we repair the power distribution on the ship, I can open a portal and we can release Bartholomew. This way, no one gets hurt."

EX's face brightened up, while Xisuma had his doubts. Wild demons? Wouldn't the Slayer get to them eventually? However, for now this was the best solution he could come up with either, so he didn't say anything. He was sure EX was aware, as well. 

For now, though, his brother seemed satisfied. "I don't wanna let him go, but I wanna see him dead even less. That's... fine."

"I only recommend you get that done before the Slayer catches onto it."

EX nodded feverously.

"VEGA, where is Dad anyways? I didn't see him back in the room either." Xisuma asked, looking around. His father wasn't present in the kitchen, which had gotten fairly crowded without him anyways. 

"He must've left sometime during the night." EX said, his tone hesitant. "Haven't seen him at all."

"The Slayer is staying in another room by himself. He... needs the rest. His state has been getting worse over the night." VEGA simply said. Xisuma tilted his head. VEGA's wording made him believe that the AI had left out something. 

EX protectively crossed his arms in front of his chest, shoulders drawn up. "He probably didn't want to see me. Can't hold it against him."

"EX... I'm sure that's not right."

"We had a fight, Xisuma. I wouldn't be surprised if he never wanted to talk to me again."

"Come on, V, how bad could it have been? I'm sure Dad won't hold a grudge against you."

"That goes for you, maybe. But me? I think he will."

"Would you just tell me what happened in that fight, V?" Xisuma gently asked. He was full of sorrow. He knew EX was being difficult on purpose sometimes, but that was always in good fun. He had never been so closed off about a topic before. He wasn’t happy about summoning bad memories for EX - but he did want to help him, especially after EX had made some steps towards him just earlier when X had apologized. 

Xisuma just wanted to help his brother.

However, EX still refused. "No."

"EX said to him that all the Slayer cares about is ripping apart demons, and that EX is just another demon to him as well. Furthermore, EX said the Slayer isn't his real dad, and that he should have just left him in that laboratory instead of taking a demon into his home."

"VEGA! I-... I asked you not to tell that!" EX cried out, jumping away from Xisuma. He was clearly panicked and upset.

"V!" Xisuma was shocked. It wasn't an angry shock - he was deeply saddened by hearing how little his brother thought about himself, and what he had said to their dad who had been nothing but loving to them for the past decades. Well, then again, he had also been tearing apart demons for the past decades, and after their earlier conversation Xisuma was even more aware of EX’s feelings on that. He half got up from his chair, raising his hands in an attempt to calm EX, but faltered slightly when the movement made the pain in his midsection flare up again. 

"Oh, did you? I'm sorry, I do not remember such a conversation." VEGA answered in reference to EX.

Xisuma knew VEGA well enough to catch the lighthearted, trolling tone in his voice. He would have liked to talk about this topic a bit more, but he didn't want to make EX even more uncomfortable, either. 

EX, in his panic, took a bit longer. "You don't rememb-... You're an AI! What do you mean you don't-... Ohhh it's because of the backup reboot isn't it! _Very_ clever VEGA, cheers to that! Bloody scumbag, bet'cha feeling very smug about that now... Always the same with you lot..." EX's curses devolved into incomprehensible muttering while he clumsily poured the last bit of pancake batter into the frying pan. 

Zedaph across the room burst into laughter. He clapped his hands in front of his mouth and tried to stop himself, grinning at EX sheepishly, but Tango and Impulse were infected by his giggles.

"What! What is it!" EX whipped around, stemming his non-injured hand into his hip, complete with his messy bedhead tangle of hair and apron sprinkled with pancake batter.

"You sounded so much like the Evil Xisuma we know from the Hermitcraft server." Impulse told him, amused. 

"Well _puzzle me plenty_ , I'm still the same person! Who would've thought! _Jeez_." 

EX finished his little outburst, turning back to his pancake. He was still muttering something, but the other's couldn't make it out for the life of them. They were busy snickering about him anyways. 

Xisuma was still very concerned about this fight EX and their father had had. However, seeing as everyone was fairly content right now and there were more pressing matters, he decided to let it rest for a minute. 

"VEGA, what's the general status right now? Did you analyze the research files?" Both Xisuma and EX had sat down at the table with the latest pancake, finally ready to have a bit of food themselves and catch up on the current situation. 

"I have. I also have a suggestion on further actions to help the Slayer - although there may be some issues with my plan." VEGA started.

Xisuma nodded. Would've been too easy if there weren't any issues, right? 

"The symptoms the Slayer shows are overlapping very closely with the process of a human turning into a demon by demonic infection."

"I thought so..." EX whispered, sounding beat up. He stared miserably at his pancake, then decided to try and drown it in syrup. 

"How... How long does he still have?" Xisuma asked, hesitantly. He wondered if he really wanted to know the answer. 

"The bad news is, according to Olivia Pierce's research data, the transformation into a low level demon or possessed takes approximately 1-2 hours. However-" He added before any of the others could say anything, "-the Slayer's physique is far beyond the humans that Olivia Pierce was... conducting research on. He is showing the same symptoms, but at a much slower rate - to put it bluntly, he is harder to demoni-fy than the average human. I calculated that he has about 20-30 more hours until the damage is irreversible."

"That is... concerning." Zedaph mumbled, frowning. 

Xisuma agreed. Fear had gripped his heart, but he tried his best to not let it show and speak professionally. "We should act quickly then. VEGA, you said you had an idea on what to do?"

There was a short pause - VEGA seemed to hesitate. "There is a way to rid the Slayer of all demonic influences. To, for the lack of a better word, purify his body."

"What's the catch?" Tango asked, trying to get VEGA to spill the beans already.

"We need to go to Urdak and then Taras Nabad - home of the Makyr and the Night Sentinels, respectively. Taras Nabad is where the Slayer trained, lived, and served for many years. There, we can purge him from the demonic influences. Unfortunately, we need to go to Urdak before that, where he went against the will of the Khan Makyr."

Xisuma rubbed the stubble on his chin, trying to remember what he knew about Taras Nabad. He knew it had been his Dad's home, for a while. He knew it had been overrun by demons shortly after the Slayer had rescued him and Evil X - but they had been very young back then, and he didn't know much more details other than that the Slayer had gone to Several places, including Urdak, to stop the demonic invasion on earth. Him and EX had stayed on the Fortress during the events. Xisuma also remembered that apparently his father was not allowed back on Urdak due to what happened all these years ago. 

"Can we get him there?" He simply asked.

"I can open a portal to either place no problem, but we need to repair the power distribution first. There's also a number of things that need to be taken care of before you can go. We also need to make a plan, on who will accompany the Slayer to Taras Nabad - I doubt he is able to get there on his own in his current state. There are... other concerns about my plan, but we can talk about them later."

"I'd like to go." Tango answered immediately. 

"Tango, you're nearly blind at the moment! I'll go." Impulse replied. 

"Your leg is barely usable!"

"If we three combine, we can make one full functional human!" Zedaph suggested, half joking. "I'll provide the braincell."

Xisuma chuckled. "Good god, we are all doomed." 

"What? No, I'm the braincell!" 

"That's your complaint, Tango? What am i supposed to be when my leg isn't working!" 

Zedaph shook his head. "None of you have any braincells, so it must be me."

"I doubt any of you lot do." EX scoffed. Team ZIT looked over to him. 

"That's rich coming from you, Mr. Concussion." Tango leaned over and poked at EX's head bandage, who was just a little too slow to evade. 

"Peeps, peeps, calm down! It's okay if I'm the only one going, I can handle it." Xisuma was met with silence and 4 sets of eyes staring at him deadpan. 

The silence dragged on and on. 

"...Fine. I guess we all go then, eh?"

That, they could agree on. 

  
  



	21. Tango and VEGA tidy up the Fortress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi people!
> 
> First of all, massive shoutout to my beta-reader N0va! <3
> 
> Second, a short note about this chapter:   
> It was originally one chapter, but I decided to split it into three smaller chapters bc honestly, the format lend itself to it, and i need a bit of a break to write the next chapter bc i've had a hard time writing lately and want to try and reduce burn-out for this fic - especially this close to the end!
> 
> So there will be three small chapters; one today, one on the weekend, and the last next wednesday. Updates will return to normal after that (hopefully lol)
> 
> Anyways thank you so much for your ongoing support for this fic! <3  
> Enjoy!

After breakfast, they split up in teams to get everything ready to leave for Urdak. 

EX went to take care of Bartie, accompanied by Zedaph.

Impulse helped Xisuma fix the power distribution. 

VEGA led Tango through the Fortress to gather everything they would need for their mission. 

* * *

"Alright Veggy-boy, where do I go first?" Tango asked. He had wrapped up all the pillows and blankets he could carry, and was awaiting instructions from the voice in the ceiling, with the large bundle in his arms. The door opened and he stepped outside, slowed down by the weight and size of the bundle he was carrying. 

"Please take a left first, and follow the hallway," VEGA instructed him, ready to navigate him through the Fortress. 

Tango followed the instructions and promptly walked into the closest wall. The blanket ball softened the impact, but he still bounced back and staggered, trying to keep his balance. "Oh crap! Aw, if it only wasn't so dark around here..."

VEGA tried to adjust the light level in the hallway, but found it at the highest possible setting already.    
"I'm afraid I can't do anything else about the lights at this point, Tango." He informed him. "If I may ask, the others have talked about your eyes at several points - is your eyesight declining? I could check it in the Medbay."

Tango sighed, adjusting the bundle in his arms and very slowly taking small steps forwards, squinting.    
"It's fine, really. This was to be expected."

His eyesight had, in fact, declined overnight. Everything was dark and gray-ish, and on top of that, the components in his eyes that would adjust the shutter to accustom for objects far away or nearby were not getting enough energy. Getting things to be focused and sharp took a very long time of staring at them, so everything was blurry and out of focus all the time. It sucked. Considering that he had stayed up most of the night and had been in several high-adrenaline, dangerous situations - meaning his eyes would have to adjust to things rapidly and take in a lot of information - it was no wonder the redstone energy levels had declined even faster than usual. He was also experiencing quite a bit of lag - the delay between things happening and the visual information being provided to him was getting noticeable. It was really not the best situation to be in. 

Usually in the morning his sight would be a tad slow and blurry, but a spoonful of redstone would provide it with enough energy to last the next 24 hours perfectly. However, there was a slight problem with that.

"I could recharge my eyes with redstone - they're mechanical," Tango started explaining, slowly rounding a corner. Having a shoulder slightly brush against a wall at all times helped him orient himself, he could make out the rest of the hallway with his blurry sight.    
"They're just running low on power is all, they're not broken or anything."

"I see. Is there any way of recharging them here or do you need this redstone from your world? Take a left at the end of the staircase." 

"See, that's the infuriating bit." Tango stopped for a second, blinking rapidly.    
"I  _ know  _ I have some redstone dust in my inventory. But I can't access it. It's driving me mad, really." He continued down a staircase, taking one step at a time. 

It was true - he usually had some stray redstone dust in his pockets, and he had worked on some stuff with Impulse the day before, so he was certain he had it in his inventory. And by all TNT that was holy, had he tried to access his inventory. After waking up, he had lain in his nest of pillows for a good 30 minutes, half-buried under a snoring Zed, trying to open his inventory. All that came up was this world's stupid weapon wheel though, which was basically useless to him. 

He sighed once more, waiting until the door to the guest room had fully opened before he stepped in and dropped his pillow bundle on the floor. 

"Is there any power source I can offer you as a replacement for redstone?" VEGA asked, mentally running through the specifics of several minerals and power sources that were in his database. 

"Eh, best not mess with it." Tango shrugged, leaving the guest room with one hand brushing the wall to guide him a little.    
"The eyes are quite fickle. I once had a spoonful more redstone than I needed to in the morning, because I wanted to charge them for a longer amount of time."

"What happened?"

"Overheated and blew the circuits," Tango chuckled.    
"Couldn't see for a week until Doc managed to repair them. Zed had to take me by the hand to lead me anywhere the whole time. I also couldn't stop crying because it slightly burnt my eyelids... Impy and Zed just call it the 'Onion Incident'. Ever since then, I try my best to not get... curious."

"I see, that's unfortunate. Please stop." VEGA watched as Tango stopped fully, preventing him from a sure trip and fall down a staircase.    
"There's a staircase in front of you, take that."

"Consider it done." Tango squinted to make out the vague shape of the staircase, then took the steps down with a good amount of confidence. It was nice having VEGA lead him around the castle - whenever the other Hermits tried to guide him, especially Zedaph, they had a tendency to mess with him and make him run into things every once in a while. It was all in good fun though, as his friends always made sure he wouldn't hurt himself even when he had run out of vision once again. 

"If I may ask, Is there a reason for you to have mechanical eyes? I don't mean to pry, of course." VEGA has been curious about the eyes since he had noticed them. He didn't have a lot of contact with the other players from Xisuma's Hermitcraft at all, but he knew one or two of them had fairly advanced prosthetics or other mechanical components. 

"Oh, I don't mind at all." Tango let out a nervous chuckle, blinking as the door to the Slayer's office opened in front of him again.    
"It's quite a funny story, really." He started gathering up the remaining pillows and attempted to drag one of the mattresses as well, but decided to take it one thing at a time after it made him drop half of the pillows. 

"You know how Impulse is a demon?" It wasn't something that was often talked about between the hermits, but Tango liked VEGA and felt like he could trust him.    
"I actually met him on my travels before I joined Hermitcraft. We became friends, and so he left me with instructions on how to summon him if I needed to. Well, a few months later, I was now on Hermitcraft, and we needed his help to build a witch farm. And yeah, maybe I also missed him a little bit."

Tango paused to glance around the bundle in his arm to make out the next doorway.    
"It was me, Mumbo, and Xisuma. We got on a platform in the swamp, and started the summoning process. I was the main summoner, and the other two were there to support me. Was pretty exhausting! I'm still not sure where exactly it went wrong, though." He added softly, dumping his current baggage of pillows on the floor with the others. 

"We managed to do the summoning, and Impulse arrived - he was in his full demon form and everything. Mumbo got quite startled, I don't think he ever told anyone." Tango let out a laugh.    
"Impy arrived in a big flash of bright blue and yellow electricity, sparking everywhere. I'm talking it all just going haywire, like, sh-blam! Swoosh! There were fireworks going off!" He gesticulated wildly now that he had his hands free, despite not having a physical conversation partner. He then used his hand to let it glide over the railing as he took the stairs up yet again. 

"It was incredibly bright. Last thing I would see in a long while, 's well." Tango's voice got quieter.    
"From what I've gathered, Mumbo must have looked away in time, and Xisuma's eyes were protected by his helmet visor. Since I was so close, and also the one who did the actual summoning, I think some of the energy arced over to me? It zapped me straight in the forehead. Burnt my eyes out somehow."

Tango made his way past the 3D printer again, the bright light giving him a guide to walk through the room. They had stuck Xisuma's helmet in there earlier, but for now it was only floating idly. They'd need to repair the power distribution before VEGA could safely allot enough energy to the 3D Printer and restore Xisuma's visor. Tango walked past it. 

"I'm sorry to hear that, Tango," VEGA said, referring to his eyes. Tango waved him off. 

"Eh, the only regret I have is that I couldn't see Impulses face after that. He apologized to me so often! He coddled me for weeks after that. Sometimes I still tease him about it. But hey, I got these dope redstone eyes now! They're even better than normal human eyes - provided you have a way to power them, of course. It's usually not a problem, I just didn't consider 'stupidly following your admin into another dimension where you cannot open your inventory and then getting trapped and hunted by demons there' a viable threat before."

"I'm sorry I cannot be of any help with your inventory, Tango. I don't know of any way for you to access it, and I don't know if this world would allow redstone to work how it does in your world - you remember what happened to your diamond armor."

"Yeah..." Tango did, in fact, remember how the diamond armor had just ejected itself off of him and Impulse once they had set foot into the Fortress.    
"Don't worry about me, though. I can get by! It's not the first time I'm low on eyesight, and you guide me much better than half the hermits do."

VEGA was very tempted to let Tango run into a closed door just to prove him wrong, but ultimately decided against it.

"Alright, what else needs to be done before we can go?" Tango asked, being done with tidying up all the pillows. 

"We should pack some first aid, just to be sure. And food, maybe. I'll guide you to the Medbay first."

Tango nodded and was on his way again.


	22. Xisuma and Impulse repair the Fortress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the shorter chapters!
> 
> Short note: i did a medium-sized fuckup in my plot, so i had to rewrite the remaining plot a bit. i finally found a way that will still include all the elements i wanted to have AND vaguely make sense! unfortunately, i also had to go and retcon a bit in a past chapter. Fortunately, it was only one paragraph - it's in chapter 20 when VEGA explains their plan and where they have to go. I just added on a bit of stuff, it ended up not being as big of a deal as it was to me in my head. 
> 
> I'd like to apologize for that! And hope you will enjoy this third of a bigger chapter! Take care! <3

"The one to the left."

"This one?" 

"Yes, now connect it. That should do."

Impulse did as Xisuma told him, leaned over the middle console of the room VEGA was housed in. The two of them had been reconnecting the wires that the demons had torn apart so that the power could be distributed through the ship evenly. It wasn't too difficult of a task, just a bit tedious. Xisuma still had trouble moving, especially if it included him bending his torso in some way, and he wasn't in the best shape overall. Impulse was doing better - he just couldn't walk very fast. They had decided Impulse would be his hands for now, and work was progressing at a reasonable speed. Xisuma was doing his best to give as precise instructions as possible, and Impulse was a fast and curious learner. He enjoyed getting a bit of a look as to how the mechanics of the Fortress worked. 

"This must go to the lower parts of the ship." He commented, after he had cleaned off the tattered end of a cable and looked at it for a few seconds. Xisuma looked over his shoulder. 

"Yep, you're right. That powers the Ripatorium, mostly."

Impulse plugged the cable into the corresponding port in the top section of the room, then watched it light up blue as power could run through it once again. He dusted off his hands on his admittedly already grimy pants.  
"That's where we messed up and released all these demons," He stated matter-of-factly, looking at Xisuma. 

"I should have warned you about that." Xisuma sighed, watching the status of the castle on one of the screens. 

"No, no, it's 100% our fault," Impulse commented, reaching for the last of the cables that were still loose. He started fiddling with one of the connectors, aiming to get the torn wires sticking out off and re-connect it with a bit of spare wire.  
"VEGA warned us quite clearly. We didn't listen. That's on us, no doubt about it." He let the cable sink down to look at Xisuma for a moment.  
"I'm very sorry we caused all this mess in your home, Xisuma."

X changed a setting on the screen, then looked up. A flash of regret, followed by a small sympathetic smile hushed over his face.  
"It's quite alright. It wouldn't have been this much of a problem if dad wasn't... You know."

"I'm sorry about your dad, Xisuma." Impulse commented, leaning over to look at the top part of the contraption, then compared it with the wire in his hand. He let out a small chuckle. "I'd say 'Being turned into a demon isn't so bad', but I don't think that applies in your world here." He loosely waved over to the half-destroyed cupboard that had previously held Bartie the Gargoyle. 

The metal of the furniture was bent out of shape, the door missing completely on one side. Gashes and slashes were in the material, and Xisuma automatically put a hand over the bandage on his side as he looked at the destruction. It stung. EX and Zedaph had wrangled the demon out of the room earlier so Impulse and Xisuma could repair the wires in peace, without Bartie’s constant screaming behind them. They had caught the demon off-guard, and since one of its arm blades had been broken off, they could overwhelm it and drag and push it out the door. Xisuma wasn't quite sure where they had put it for now, but they needed to wait for him to repair the power distribution first before VEGA could open a portal to let Bartholomew out into the wild. 

"Right...Impulse, I'm sorry you had to hear what I said to EX about demons as well. I really...I don't know what I was thinking! I want you to know that none of what I said about demons in general applies to you, and nothing applies to EX either, for the record."

"Dude, it's fine! It's fine. I already realized that the demons here are... well, they're different than my mum and dad, you know? The only thing we share is the description 'demon', really. Same things can mean different things in different worlds, you know?" Impulse shrugged, giving Xisuma a grin.  
"I know I'm not a feral, acid-spitting wild animal sort of demon. You know that as well, so it's all good. And EX... I talked to him as well, tonight. He's really upset. He thinks about being a demon and what that means here a lot, you know?"

Xisuma nodded sadly, then scratched his head.  
"Yeah, I'm aware. He's been doubting himself ever since we were teens and found out more about our heritage. You know, the demon DNA started showing when we were around 15, 16 years old, if I remember right. And of course EX knows what our dad does - we've seen it first hand ever since we were kids. He tried not to bring us to fights, but sometimes it couldn't be helped."

"So EX would of course start to have doubts about himself and your dad." Impulse nodded. That made sense. 

"Yeah. We've had a lot of conversations about this, it was really bad when he was younger, but he's been more accepting of his demon side lately. I don't know why he's... you know, gone back to being so insecure and scared about himself."

"Healing isn't linear, X," Impulse said, unusually softly.  
"Things like that, you need a long time to accept them. It's normal to have fallbacks and bad days."

Xisuma sighed. He thought back to the day before, in Hayden’s office, where he had been frozen to the spot, unable to move. Wasn't that basically the same thing? He thought he had been over that, but seeing Hayden’s picture had just made everything resurface.  
"I suppose... When EX saw a demon that was even a little more approachable, maybe it all came up again. Can you plug that wire in up there? Should be the last one."

"Will do." Impulse confirmed as he reached up, struggling a bit to get the wire plugged in. It was about the size of his forearm. His leg strained a bit, and he let out a breath of relief as the cable clicked into place. With a hum, the electricity started flowing through it again. 

"Power circuits fully restored, energy level at 100%. I'm rerouting the power to reboot all processes. Then I will open a portal to release Bartholomew the Gargoyle." VEGA confirmed. 

"Looks good!" Xisuma commented from the desk.

"Xisuma... there is something I need to address," VEGA started. He sounded hesitant, which was never a good sign.  
"It's about going to Urdak. When the Slayer was last on Urdak to stop the Khan Makyr, we left someone there."

"Someone?"

"It's Dr. Samuel Hayden," VEGA continued.  
"We uploaded his consciousness into the machinery on Urdak so he could open up our way back home. We then left him behind - 27 years ago. However… unfortunately, I think we’re in need of his help once again. The machine on Taras Nabad, which I intend on using to cure the Slayer - I do not know how to operate it. As much research as I did, I did not find any records of how it works. Only the Seraphim know how to operate it, and I believe Hayden is in possession of that knowledge. If we can get him to help, it will be faster and safer than trying to figure it out on our own."

"Ah." Xisuma felt his heart sink and his chest freeze up at the mention of _that_ name.  
"Well." He fell silent. 

Impulse looked to him as Xisuma just stood there, still propped at the desk. He waited, but Xisuma didn't elaborate, and neither did VEGA. In fact, Xisuma seemed very lost, his eyes restlessly rushing over the words on the screen without ever reading any of the information. 

"...Xisuma?" Impulse gently prodded, walking over to him.

"It's fine! I'm fine." Xisuma suddenly said, unusually loud, making Impulse jump in the process.  
"This is fine." He abruptly straightened his back, flinching as it shot a wave of pain through his injured body.

Impulse wondered if he should ask about what VEGA just said. Whatever it had been about, whoever this 'Dr. Samuel Hayden' was, it seemed to have triggered some very bad memories for Xisuma. He didn't really want to prod, but he suddenly questioned if it was such a good idea to go to that planet in the first place if Xisuma had such a strong reaction to it. 

X seemed to have snapped out of it, as he looked to Impulse and noticed his face.  
"Can't be helped, right?" 

“Trust me Xisuma, I don’t like this any more than you do. I did not wish to have to rely on help from that man ever again.” There was a surprising amount of disdain in the AI’s voice. 

“There’s not much we can do about it.” Xisuma said, quietly, then looked up again. “I will manage, right?” He offered Impulse a shrug and the least convincing smile he had ever seen, before sighing and sitting down on the floor beneath. His breath hitched and he rested a hand on the bandages on his midsection, grimacing.

"Are you okay, X?" Impulse asked him, sitting down next to him. 

"Arguable," Xisuma answered with an amused huff. His smile turned a bit more genuine, though.  
"I just need a short break before we go, that's all."

Impulse nodded.  
"Good. Rest up, Xisuma. You went through a lot yesterday." He settled back, leaning against the console with his back, legs stretched away from him - but only after making sure Xisuma's bandages were still in place and there was no blood on them. 

Xisuma appreciated it and the two men sat in comfortable silence, resting for a few minutes. 


	23. EX and Zedaph get a demon off the Fortress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last of the short chapters! Next week we will (hopefully) return to full chapter length as per usual.

"GO! GO!"

"I'M TRYING! HE'S NOT LETTING ME!"

"WELL TRY HARDER THEN!"

"GHRRRRAAAHAHAHAAAA."

"GEE THANKS A LOT FOR THE TIPS, EX!" Zedaph yelled back, both arms wrapped around Bartie to constrain him. One of Bartie's wings smacked him in his face, but Zed didn't let go. He knew it would be bad news if he did, seeing as he was restraining Bartie’s arms, including the sharp blade on one of them. Why EX hadn't wanted to listen to his suggestion of putting a pool noodle over it was beyond him. 

After getting Bartie out of the room so Impulse and Xisuma could repair the cables, they had locked him into the storage room nearby with a bit of help from VEGA. Now that the AI had informed them that power was restored and he was currently opening the portal, Zed and EX had started to wrangle Bartie up to the command deck. Well, Zedaph was doing all of the wrangling, to be honest. Even in the presence of EX, who had puppy-talked the demon and tried to coerce him to come, Bartie had proven to be uncooperative by all means. 

And by that, they meant that they had to stay out of range of his acid spit and arm blade at all times. 

Zedaph had lost a bit of hair and fur to the arm blade already, and EX's shirt was now sporting some acid-induced holes in it, but so far they had gotten off injury-free. Well, not counting the injuries EX already had sustained earlier in the week. 

Bartie screeched shrilly and tried to writhe and squirm out of Zedaph's steel grip, who did his best to resist the urge to cover his hurting ears. Claws and hooves clacked against the metal floor. 

"TO THE LEFT NOW!" EX shouted over the noise. 

"Hrnrngh!" Zedaph grunted in effort as he swerved left, brought out of balance by Bartie’s movements. He found himself at the bottom of a huge staircase and turned his head to stare at EX indignantly. "Seriously, dude?"

"It's not my fault this Fortress is like, 80% weird staircases!"

"GYRRAAAAHHHHH!" Bartie added to the conversation. 

"Shhh, it's okay, you're doing great buddy! Who's a good boy!" EX shushed the demon, attempting to pat his head. Bartie snapped for his hand, which EX luckily withdrew quickly enough. Zedaph got hit in the chest by the demon's feet as he flailed wildly, faltering momentarily as the wind was knocked from his lungs. 

"Ugh, EX!" Zed whined. "Do something! I can't get him up the stairs..."

Another jerky movement from Bartie made Zedaph stagger and stumble off the three steps he had managed to climb up so far. He bashed into the nearby wall, causing him to lose his grip on the Gargoyle. 

With a shout, Zed ignored the horror that had flared up in his chest and leapt to grab Bartie again, but only managed to catch his knee. In a slapstick-like fashion, Zed fell over as he held on to Bartie’s leg, causing Bartie to fall as well. Another screech from the demon made Zedaph wince, but he quickly got ground under his feet again so he could tackle Bartie with his full body weight and try and pin him to the floor. It didn't quite work out, and now Zedaph was in danger of getting hit by the arm blade that Bartie had managed to bring into a usable position. 

"BARTIE, NO! BAD BOY!" EX yelled as he jumped after them up the stairs, catching Bartie's wrist with his free hand that wasn't in the arm sling. As he was trying to keep the blade away from his sheep-like companion, EX had to use his body weight to wrangle down Bartie's arm. The three of them ended up in a tangle of limbs, bounding down the stairs to collapse into a writhing pile on the floor. 

"I got his arm! Get out of there, Idiot!" EX used his legs to hold Bartie in a very wrestling-like move, while keeping his bladed arm behind his back.

Zedaph didn't appreciate being called an idiot by anyone else than himself - and maybe Tango and Impulse - but used the time to untangle himself and retreat from the scuffle nonetheless. He got up, looking between EX and Bartie in a panic. 

"What now? _What now?_ " He asked, flinching as EX got a cut on his cheek when Bartie flailed around with his non-bladed, but still clawed hand. 

"Well, do something! We need to get him up the stairs and I can't let go!"

Zedaph was frozen to the spot for a moment, then decisively grabbed EX on his collar with one hand and one of Bartie’s wings with the other and started pulling them up the stairs. EX wrangled Bartie into a headlock, preventing him from moving his arm with the blade in any way, shape or form. 

"Ow. Ow. Ow." He pointedly said each time his body was bounced up another step of the staircase. 

"Look, I can leave you here if you want," Zedaph wheezed, gritting his teeth under the effort of dragging a very tall full-grown man and an entire demon up a staircase with no help from either of them. "This is the only way I can think of so would you kindly shut it? Not much in your head to get bounced around anyways."

"Hey now!" EX complained. "Just because you have cool horns doesn't mean you're better than me! There's not much in your head either! I've seen you eat pancakes with a spoon!"

"You think my horns are cool?" Zed asked, collapsing after pulling EX and Bartie over the top of the staircase. He rolled over on his back, away from the demon. Breathing heavily, he looked over to EX, quite surprised. 

"HSSSSSSSSSSSHHHGAAAAAHHH!!" Bartie complained, writhing but unable to get out of EX's grip. Zedaph could see sweat and blood trickle down EX's forehead. 

"Well I don't have horns! Of course they're cool!" It looked almost like EX was pouting, but his face was also distorted in the effort of getting up while still restraining Bartie. Zedaph quickly got back to his feet and set a knee onto Bartie's back, making sure he couldn't get up as EX shifted his grip. EX and Zed made eye contact and nodded, then simultaneously got up. Each of them was hooking one of Bartie’s arms behind his back, managing to simultaneously push him forwards towards the command deck. 

"The portal is ready." VEGA's voice rang out from the ceiling as they entered the central room. Bartie was making all kinds of noises, but the crackling of the portal's energy was still audible over it. "I recommend you do this quickly." 

"Oh, you don't say. I was just starting to enjoy Bartie's company." Zedaph quipped. He was looking ruffled, and his shirt had a few new tears where Bartie had tried to escape confinement. 

They dragged Bartie forwards through the command deck room, past all the screens. The portal had already risen out of the ground and was activated, the deep blue swirls seeming very enticing. Electricity was crackling around it, and Zedaph felt his hair standing up. Bartie seemed to sense that something was up, because he doubled his efforts to escape, making Zedaph and EX stumble in unison as they tried to hold him back. They forced him forwards again, just to the edge of the portal. 

Over the blue shine of the energy, Zedaph caught a glimpse of Evil Xisumas face. He was looking wistfully, hesitant, lost in the depths of the infinite swirl in front of them. He then looked at Bartie, almost forlorn, while the demon tried his best to twist his head enough to bite Zedaph's face off. 

"EX, it's time to let go." Zedaph simply said, sounding serious. 

"I'm just...he's so much like me, isn't he?" EX looked at Bartie's tattered pink shirt, then back to Zed. 

"HSHSSAAAARARAAAAGGGH!" Bartie screeched, thrashing and throwing himself against his constraints. 

Zed didn't say anything, just staring at EX. 

Then, he sighed. He could imagine how hard it was to let go of something you loved, especially when you knew you were in the wrong about keeping it.   
"Alright, let me say a few words." He offered. "Bartie, I have not known you for long-"

"SCREEEEEAAAAAA!"

"-but you were a very sweet demon, and your claws are-"

"HHHRAAAAAAAGGHHH!"

"- incredibly sharp and pointy. And hurtful. They hurt. Your kick could knock out a-"

"HHHYYERRRAAAA!"

"-grown man in one hit. Our time has been short together-"

"HSSSHSHSHHHSHHHHH!"

"Oh _screw_ this!" EX growled, ripping Bartie from Zedaph's grip and pushing him through the portal in one clean, forceful shove. 

The portal closed and sizzled down very quickly after that.

Zedaph and EX were left standing alone in the command deck, in sudden silence, a bit dumbstruck.

"Well." Zedaph said, letting himself plop down onto the floor. "That's one way to do it."

EX stood there a bit longer, watching the last wisps of portal energy disperse. "See you around, Bartie..." With a heavy sigh, he sat down across from Zedaph, leaning against one of the consoles on the command deck. 

"Hey man, it's probably for the better, you know?" Zedpah tried to console him, sensing how melancholic he was.

"Yeah... I know."

"Did you get hurt?"

EX looked up, befuddled. "Why would you care?" He raised a hand to his face, wiping a bit of blood off the fresh cut on his cheek. 

Zedaph scoffed, then scooched over to him. "Here, lemme see."   
He reached into the back pocket of his pants, then pulled out a fresh bandaid. He had kept a few after their first aid session in the night, for cases like this. Gently, he peeled off the protective paper and then tacked the band-aid onto EX's face, who was just staring at him in wonder. 

"There ya go. A bunny band-aid makes everything better, right?"

To prevent Zedaph from noticing he was about to burst into tears, EX lightly whacked his hand away and rubbed over his face. "I don't need your pity, human." He growled, doing his best to sound intimidating despite the shakiness in his voice. 

"Oh please." Zedaph plucked a bit of wooly fur from where it had stuck to his shirt, and placed it on EX's nose.   
"I'm not human and you can't escape my pity."

EX couldn't help but sneeze, flailing wildly to get the offending pieces of wool off his face. "Stop that!"

Zedaph snickered at the sight. "What, being nice to you? Annoying you? Being obnoxious? Because trust me, I'm very good at that." He grabbed a handful of fur from his neck, pulling out a surprising amount of hair with ease, and sprinkled it over EX.

"All of that!" EX protested, trying to dodge the cream colored hairs floating down on him to no avail. Like animal fur did, it clung to his clothes easily, very visible on his black shirt. 

"Hehe, no chance!"

"You're a menace to society!"

"Unlike you, Mr. Oh So Evil."

"What! I'm very evil!"

"Sure you are, buddy. Tickle tickle!" Zedaph leaned over to try and tickle EX, who did his best to catch his hands before he could reach him.

"Stop that!"

Soon after, the command deck was filled with both of their giggles and bickering.


	24. VEGA returns the favor of being dragged to hell and back several times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: serious warning for trauma, child abuse, and heavy adjacent topics, descriptions of body horror at the beginning
> 
> Art for the beginning of this chapter:   
> https://ambered-glazed-sheep.tumblr.com/post/637598816289341440/todays-chapter-of-slayers-sons-also-comes-with

Xisuma stepped out of the portal, setting foot onto smooth white flooring. The Doomslayer weighed heavily on him again after they had finished materializing from the portal, and Xisuma had to adjust his grip due to the sudden increase in weight. His fingers slipped off the slick surface of the Slayer's mutated side, and he had to grasp him harder as to not lose his hold on him. Zedaph was supporting the Slayer on the other side, his left arm slung around Zed's shoulders. The blond man was looking around the new alien surroundings in awe. 

One after another, Ex, Tango and Impulse emerged from the portal, joining them on Urdak. They were uncharacteristically silent. EX stepped up to his brother, trying to gauge the Slayer's current state. 

The Doomslayer had gotten worse over the night. VEGA had said so, of course, but it still had been a shock for all of them when they went to the room he had locked himself into and saw how much further the demonic growth had infected his body. His right arm already overgrown, it seemed thicker and more muscular than ever, exaggerating his shape grotesquely. His hand had turned into a massive claw, the fleshy fingertips almost reaching his knee. The mass had further spread over his torso, spanning over his chest and stretching almost to his navel. Most of it was technically under his shirt, but they could see the lumps and tendrils under it anyway, tearing the fabric in some places. A few vines were even starting to spread over his leg, the sickening red in stark contrast to the dull green of his armoured pants.

The teeth in his shoulder had grown as well, now clearly visible. Each tooth was about thumb's length, and they were now aligned almost in two arced lines, resembling a top and bottom jaw. There was no bone though, and no way to move them - at least that was what Xisuma hoped. Despite his repaired helmet, he felt uncomfortable having the weird teeth this close to his head. They had attempted to put the Slayer's own helmet on him as well, but found it didn't fit him anymore. In addition to the fleshy mass that had spread over half his head, covering one of his eyes, there was now a hard nub on his forehead - almost as if a horn was starting to form. Several veins were running into it, pulsating aggressively. His other eye has started to discolour heavily - although this was a bit hard to tell. 

The Slayer was awake, but thoroughly unresponsive and apathetic. He was staring at the ground numbly all the time, not even meeting their eyes when they had picked him up. He had made no attempts of cooperating when they tried to get him to the portal, resulting in him being dragged and heaved by Xisuma and Zed, not unlike three or four sacks of potatoes. Xisuma noticed his jaw was tense, and he had the fist of his left hand clenched the entire time. The Slayer was still wearing his left gauntlet, including the infamous retractable arm blade. His breathing was ragged and heavy, and while his skin had been glistening with sweat the night before, it was now very dry and pale, looking extremely sickly. 

The Slayer had not communicated with them once during the whole process of getting him to and through the portal, not even a single nod of acknowledgement. VEGA had informed them that the Slayer was battling the demonic instincts that were flaring up inside him, which had also been the reason why he had secluded himself in another room the night before. Xisuma was...  _ concerned _ . He didn't really understand what that meant... Did their father want to kill them? No, that couldn't be. The Doomslayer had always made it his goal and objective to protect humans from harm, he definitely wouldn't hurt them. Not to mention his sons. Xisuma wasn't sure how the current relationship between EX and the Slayer was, but he was sure the Slayer wouldn't hurt EX.  _ Demonic instincts... _ Decisively, he shook his head, trying his best not to worry too much. It would get him nowhere.

VEGA had been able to set up the portal straight into the heart of a Makyr building on Urdak - now that he had checked on his father's status, Xisuma finally took a moment to take in the surroundings. 

They were inside the hallways of a building, and it had a floor, a ceiling, and walls - but that was about the only similarities it had with any architecture the hermits knew. Xisuma and EX had never been on Urdak, either, so this was all new to them as well. Everything was white and dark red, an unusual colour combination. The floor was made out of a heavy-looking, off-white material - Xisuma couldn't quite place what it was. It looked a lot like metal, but was duller and did not make any familiar sounds when they walked on it, and was coated in something matte. The floor was interlaced with lines of a shiny, burgundy red metal, and decorative grooves and bumps. It reminded Xisuma a lot of circuit boards and other technological things. Where the white didn't cover the floor, a layer of fine black dirt could be seen. The walls were made from the same materials, in odd smooth shapes, pillars and windows rounded and lined in red. Small yellow dots of light were glowing in strategic places. The place seemed like it had once been pristine, but was now grimy and dusty. Parts of the walls were torn open, exposing the technology behind. 

"Please walk up the slope ahead and then make a turn left. I ask you to hurry - if there are still Makyr drones here, they will soon notice our presence." VEGA instructed them. 

Xisuma nodded and slowly started dragging the Slayer forwards, with Zedaph trying his best to help. 

The noises in the building ranged from unsettling to horrifying. There was a constant hum and crackle of electricity, but it sounded violent and foreboding. They couldn't determine where it was coming from, probably the outside? Behind the walls, they heard clanking and clattering. 

Zedaph did not like it one bit. All his senses told him to get away from this place, but he couldn't leave his friends like that, so he gulped heavily and helped Xisuma heave the Slayer up the hallway. 

"Hey VEGA, what is the plan here again?" Tango asked, apparently unimpressed by the surroundings. VEGA had already promised him to show him pictures some other time, when he could actually see properly. 

"This is Urdak, home of the Makyr. The same species whose DNA also rests in Xisuma." Impulse and Zedaph looked at X for a second, then nodded. "We are here because we need the help of someone. The person in question is called Dr Samuel Hayden. He was the former CEO of the UAC on Mars, and is also my creator."

"The same one mentioned about where Xisuma and EX came from?" Zedaph asked thoughtfully. 

VEGA hesitated, leaving it to the boys to answer. 

EX and X shared a look. Both of them were wearing their helmets again - the air on Urdak and Taras Nabad was okay for humans and them to breathe, but they just preferred to wear the helmet anyways. Xisuma's helmet was freshly repaired, the new visor glass glinting in the light. Impulse had been concerned about EX wearing his helmet with his head injury, but EX had stubbornly insisted on it, pulling it over the bandages with some effort. Secretly, he was glad he could hide behind the emotionless red dots glowing behind the opaque visor and his voice filter, especially now that the conversation was leading up to unpleasant topics like Hayden.

" **Yeah, that one.** " EX supplied when Xisuma didn't react. " **He... created us. The Doomslayer is our real dad, though. Hayden combined the DNA of the Slayer with demons to create me, and the Makyr to create X. Don't ask me how he got either, though.** " EX scoffed, clearly displeased with Hayden.

"Unfortunately, we need Dr Hayden. He is the only one who knows how to operate the machine that will most likely cure the Slayer of his demonic infection."

Xisuma's voice was very quiet as he spoke.    
"I don't like that we have to rely on him. But dad can't wait another day for us to figure out another solution." Still holding the Slayer, Xisuma pointed to him with his chin. His helmet made it hard to read his emotions, but he certainly didn't make eye contact with either of them. 

EX stepped closer and rested his hand on Xisuma's back for a second in a comforting manner, then moved ahead of the group. 

"Please make your way to the console ahead. We should hurry." VEGA asked of them, then continued his exposition. "We came to this planet 27 years ago, when the Khan Makyr threatened to destroy the Earth. To leave and move on to Earth, there were portals that needed to be activated from this console simultaneously. Dr Hayden was uploaded into the machinery, and he opened the portal for the Slayer to pass through. We left Dr Hayden here." VEGA didn't sound even remotely sorry about that fact.

"Wait, is this Doctor not a person? What do you mean uploaded?" Zedaph was visibly confused as they approached the station, hauling the Slayer with them.

"Dr Hayden was originally a human, but had his consciousness uploaded into an unnecessarily tall robot chassis. Therefore, we could transfer him to the machinery with ease."

"And he agreed to that?" Impulse got the impression of someone who selflessly sacrificed himself to help VEGA and the Slayer, but he did not miss the tone and words everyone chose when talking about Hayden. 

"Vaguely," VEGA said. "The Slayer can be very...  _ persuasive _ ."

Xisuma let out a bitter half-laugh, half-scoff, and guided Zedaph to turn left. 

A room opened up to them. The walls were oval-shaped and painted monochrome red. A small slope led up to a structure illuminated in blue - it looked like a desk with alien controls on it, all round-shaped and metallic lines over it. The wall behind it was a vast window, showing machinery and building walls on the outside. The whole thing had a looming sense of something ominous about it. It did not bode well with any of them, and their conversation had completely shut down as they stepped into the room.

Sure enough, they only managed to get a few meters into the open room before a voice rang out; formerly silky smooth but now distorted by its merge to alien technology.

"Ah, the Slayer and my little experiments. How...  _ Nice  _ of you to come to visit."

Several things happened in the next second. 

EX flinched violently upon hearing the voice from the console ahead, a very weird noise coming through the filter of his helmet. He stumbled. Impulse saw him clench his fists and quickly straighten his posture, staring dead ahead to the console. With very fast, very determined steps, he started marching towards the desk. 

Xisuma however completely stopped, freezing to the spot halfway through his next step. Zedaph, not expecting the sudden stop, was yanked backwards via the Slayer they were both holding. 

Zed did not like the voice one bit. It was too calm, too perfect, but also horribly distorted into something menacing, no matter the intent of the owner. Over his shoulder, he felt the Slayer shivering and trembling. He was squirming slightly. Looking over, Zedaph noticed he was glaring ahead, clenching his jaw and staring right at the console in front of them. 

"Samuel Hayden." VEGA introduced them. 

Previously, he had projected his voice from the speaker in Xisuma's chestplate, but he had now switched to EX's suit since he was closer to the console. Impulse looked at Zed, X, and Tango, who weren't moving, and quickly followed EX up to the console so he wouldn't have to be alone. Additionally, Impulse was infinitely curious about the alien technology here. 

"I was wondering when you would be coming back, begging for my help." Hayden's voice picked up again. 

"Trust me, we would not be if it were not necessary. You certainly don't owe this pleasure to your personality, Dr Hayden."

Hayden was quiet for a few seconds.    
"I see you have picked up some new things, VEGA. You have been with the Slayer for too many years now, it shows. Talking about the Hellwalker himself-"

"Before you say anything else, reconsider." VEGA interrupted him, basking in the fact that he was now able to do so. He certainly remembered the last time they met, with Hayden uploading himself into the Fortress of Doom temporarily and cutting VEGA off at any chance. 

" **What do I need to take,** " EX asked, voice flat. 

Impulse was looking over his shoulder, having a glance at the weird control panel. Exactly in the centre, there were circular plugs, four of them. They were outlined with the same red metal they had seen on the floor. The lowest of the four had a large, sphere-shaped button with a symbol on it. Plugged into the top port was a small half-dome, the same symbol on it glowing. EX prodded at it. 

"Dr Hayden, we request your aid on Taras Nabad. Please load your consciousness onto the data carrier as to follow us. This should not take you too much time, considering your data certainly does not include things like 'compassion' or 'social skills'." VEGA specifically phrased it so it didn't sound like they were desperate and in need of Hayden's help at all. He wasn't sure if Hayden had access to any cameras, if he could see them and the state the Slayer was in - he assumed so. Maybe he could even keep Hayden in the dark about their mission as long as possible?

"Taras Nabad, I see," Hayden replied. 

_ Well, maybe not, then. _

"The Slayer has been infected by demons, and you need my help and expertise with the divination machine because you hope that will cure him."

VEGA was glad he didn't have a face, or he would have cringed at Hayden's words. He had hit the nail right on the head. Within seconds, Hayden had pieced together all the facts, figuring out exactly what was going on. They had no form of bargaining coin, no advantage over Hayden, other that he had been stuck on Urdak for 27 years and they had not. VEGA had no intention of offering Hayden a way back with them - and he was sure the Slayer would agree - but there was no need for Hayden to know that. 

"It seems you are still the same as always, trying to spot someone else's weakness."

"It is what kept me alive for so long. I consider that one of my better qualities."

"Well, I don't," VEGA replied flatly. "Have you done anything of use in the past 27 years except shuffle portal rings from left to right?"

"It has been 27 years, 5 months, and 16 days to be exact, and yes, I did."

"Counting the days until we come back doesn't count as something 'useful', Dr Hayden. I recommend you get some hobbies. I hear birdwatching is something people your age tend to do? Ah right, no birds on Urdak. My bad."

Impulse stifled a chuckle at VEGA's words

"I see you brought civilians with you on this mission, VEGA. Has the Slayer given up on his 'save all of humanity' schtick?"

" **They can care for themselves,** " EX growled, unable to hold himself out of the conversation. " **Unlike you, they actually have some spine.** "

"Ah," Hayden's distorted voice crackled through the speakers of the room as his attention shifted. "Subject V, and Subject X. I would love to hear how my failed experiments are doing these days."

EX slammed his hands down onto the console. 

" **Maybe we would tell you if you hadn't broken our trust multiple times, traumatized us at a young age and tried your best to deny us any sort of human affection. You know, when we were literal children.** " EX's voice was steady and determined, a low growl. Slightly surprised, Impulse looked over to him. EX wasn't done yet, pointing his finger at the centre of the console. " **We don't owe you any sort of information, you're nothing more than a sad heap of robot scrap. Well, not even that anymore. You can't imagine how satisfying it was to see the remains of your excuse of a robotic body float away into space.** "

"So that's what happened to my body. Interesting. I'm sure it was an attempt of the Slayer to establish trust with you, despite the fact that it is not a critical component of raising soldiers."

" **We're his** **_sons_ ** **.** " EX insisted, raising his voice. " **Don't you** **_dare_ ** **to say anything about the Slayer. What do you know about trust? What do you know about family? You may have created us, but trust me, I don't have an ounce of respect for you.** "

"Still as aggressive and rebellious as always, Subject V. Always going for insults instead of doing what's best for you. These are bold words for someone in need of my assistance."

" **You don't have any power over me. You can't punish me anymore. And I won't hesitate to rip you out of this console and crush you with my own boots, I don't care. You've abused our trust and the fact that we were raised cut off from the outside world as children, and I'm definitely not the same person anymore.** "

Impulse was impressed. He would never have guessed that EX would be so aware of his own emotions, and so self-reflective. That he was able to point out and acknowledge the fact that Hayden mistreated them as children, and that it was wrong. He knew a lot of people with difficult pasts struggled with that, and it must have taken EX a lot of introspective and thinking to get to this point in his life. That he was able to stand up and hold his ground to Hayden like this was even more impressive. 

Impulse also couldn't help but notice that EX had said 'You can't punish me anymore'. If he had gotten the context correctly, he assumed EX had been punished for being rebellious and disobedient when he was still with Hayden as a child. It made sense why he was like he was, now... Always trying to prove himself, going against instructions and advice even if it was only meant well. It made sense that he had been destructive and trying to cause trouble in the past on the Hermitcraft server - because that was the exact same thing he would have been punished for as a child, and now he was out of that situation. Maybe it had been his way of testing how far he could go, of when he would face consequences. Impulse wondered if he should ask him about it one day, or if it was best to leave the topic alone. 

"How about Subject X, then? I see he's quiet... Maybe he stopped trying to protect the ones dear to him? Maybe he's not strong enough? He's never been a brave one, always complying if I just told him I would leave the others alone."

_ What a horrible thing to say to someone _ , Impulse thought, a shudder running over his neck.  _ What a horrible way to treat people _ . He wanted to say something, defend his friend, but his throat was clogged up and he could not form any words in his brain to say. 

Zedaph, still trying to hold up the Slayer's weight, looked over to Xisuma. The admin still had not moved. Most of his face was obscured by the helmet and the visor, but Zed could see that his eyes were wide open, staring into the void. Sweat was glistening on Xisuma's face under. Zed could hear his breathing rushing through the filters on his helmet, shallow and quick. Was he hyperventilating? Xisuma did not seem to react to anything Hayden or EX were saying. 

"X?" Zed whispered, trying to twist his arms in a way where he could pat Xisuma's shoulder without dropping the Slayer. He was ultimately unsuccessful. Xisuma didn't react to him in any way, instead continuing to be frozen still and fixating on Hayden's voice. Zedaph frowned. He didn't have any details, but he knew enough to have a pretty good guess and say that Xisuma was probably re-living through memories he wished he had long since forgotten. He was sure X wanted to say something. He was sure X wanted to defend himself, to say Hayden was wrong - but he seemed incapable to. Clearly, whatever had happened in the past was still affecting him heavily. Hayden's voice must have transported him right back to when he was a child, not understanding the world but trying his best to please and appease the adults so they would be satisfied with him. Was this why X was always working so hard as an admin?

EX's voice was merely an aggressive hiss as he spoke next.    
" **You leave my brother alone, you bloody scumbag.** "

"Oh, you are calling yourself brothers now? How...  _ cute _ . Almost makes it sound like you are trying to be a family."

"We are." VEGA simply said, interrupting this conversation before it could escalate further. "I recommend you stop stalling us, Dr Hayden, and get ready to go to Taras Nabad."

"Oh, I am," Hayden replied. "I simply did not want to interrupt this... engaging conversation."

With a growl, EX tore the data carrier out of the socket in the desk. A crackle of electricity ran over it, then the room fell quiet. 

"How unfortunate that we will have to talk with him again once we're on Taras Nabad," VEGA said, positively disgusted. He had known this would not be a pleasant encounter, but he did not think that Hayden was either so unaware of the effect his experiments and upbringing have had on the boys, or that he was so petty as to purposefully use it against them. Either way, he acted in no way a human with an ounce of common sense would. At least he hadn't disagreed to helping them - although VEGA noted that he hadn't explicitly agreed, either.

"Opening a portal to Taras Nabad now."

"Uh, you should probably speed that up." Tango suddenly said. He was still near the entrance of the room, his only way to orient himself being the bright lights in the walls and the console. "I'm hearing all sorts of whooshy noises."

VEGA quickly accessed all remote cameras he could find in this area that were within range of the communications of EX's and Xisuma's suits. The footage wasn't great, but he saw something very concerning. 

"There are still active Makyr drones on Urdak, it seems. They're approaching quickly, and with the Slayer out of commission, I don't want to find out what would happen if they found us here. The Slayer is banned from Urdak, after all, and I don't think they are too friendly towards human and similar folks. Diverting all resources into portal power."

The group shuffled, Tango retreating more to the front of the room. 

While the portal sparked up behind them and started to slowly grow in size, the mechanical noises and whooshing rushed closer. Impulses eyes widened as a floating creature swerved around the corner: It was very tall, easily double the size of the humans. Its body seemed to be a long, white cloak, with plating and golden accents. The head was coated in gold, and seemed more like a statue than anything. It didn't have any arms or legs visible, and despite its angelic-seeming appearance, it had an unsettling aura around it, the dead eyes trained on them. Its movement was jerky and lopsided, almost like it had been a bit too long since it was last active. It seemed to be a blend of organic and technological being. 

Whatever it was, it was approaching fast, and it didn't bode well. 

"Portal ready," VEGA announced curtly.

Zed began pulling forwards, and Impulse used all his weight to push the still unmoving Xisuma along, and together with the Slayer they all but fell into the portal. EX jumped back down the slope to grab Tango's arm, and, ignoring Tango's indignant yelp, forcefully tugged him into the portal.

The blue energy bristled and died down behind them.


	25. X and his dad have a mediocre time at best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta reader, Nova!
> 
> I hope all of you have as much of a relaxing time over the holidays as possible and are able to look forwards into the new year with hope and something to be excited about, even if its only a small thing! <3
> 
> cw for this chapter: (past) trauma, panic attack(s)

_Xisuma felt heavy. A thick fog was clogging up his senses, making him numb and distant. A single voice was boring itself through the haze, piercing into Xisuma's brain, filling his thoughts to the brim until he felt like he was unable to take it anymore._

_"Ah, Subject X." The voice said, echoing, distant and at the same time right in his head. Xisuma felt small, tiny, unprotected, he had to look up, but there was nothing to see. At the same time, everything. A figure peeled itself out of the depths of his brain, the silhouette familiar, the blue rectangle in place of a face burning itself into his memory once again. Or maybe it came from his memory._

_He didn't know._

_He didn't know anything, he was a child._

_He felt his hands grasping the hem of a thin, frayed shirt as he listened, just as he did all those years ago._

_He was being scolded, reprimanded. He had not been good enough. He had always done his best. In every test, he tried to prove that he was good enough, that he was paying enough attention, that he could protect the others. In every fight these scientists put him into, he tried to prove that he was strong enough, that he could fight well enough. That it was good enough._

_That day, it had not been enough._

_"Stop crying, Subject X." Hayden's voice had stung in his ears, still ringing from the screeching of the demons they had been pitted against. Him, and V. He had tried to protect V - but it had not been good enough. He had not been good enough. V's sobbing behind his back reminded him of that, just as Hayden did._

_"Not only did you not defeat the demon, but you have also gotten yourself and Subject V injured, as well. This is simply unacceptable."_

_X looked to the floor, not daring to speak. Blood and tears dripped down his face, splashing onto the tiles on the floor and wetting his toes. His face hurt. The demon had left large gashes on him and V, before Hayden had finally deemed the experiment as failed and had pulled them out of the chamber._

_He had been unable to meet the expectations of the scientists._

_He had been unable to protect and stand up for V, as well. They had been put together, a rare occasion, and X had messed it up thoroughly._

_"Do you understand I expect more of you, Subject X?"_

_X sniffled, pulling up his shoulders._

_"Answer."_

_X closed his eyes, trying to tune out the situation, Hayden, the sobs of his brother behind him._

_"Subject X."_

_Hayden's voice shifted, changing pitch. X cowered in the corner of the room, trying to make himself smaller, trying to make himself unseen._

_"X."_

Echoing, the voice pierced through him, overflowing his senses. Xisuma felt himself unable to move except shivering violently.

"Xisuma?"

Someone grabbed his helmet, moving his head from left to right. Whoever it was, Xisuma was staring right through them.

"Xisuma!"

An odd feeling crept up the corners of Xisuma's consciousness, making him dizzy and disoriented. He tried to move, he tried to look around, but everything was distant and delayed. Someone was still trying to get his attention, and he looked down, his eyes unwilling to focus.

A familiar face was in his vision, human-coloured, soft skin, not a robotic chassis. Dark eyes, staring straight at him.

"Xisuma, are you alright?" A voice asked him, distant and not quite getting through to him, but definitely normal and human.

"X?" Another voice asked, somewhere to the side.

His body ached.

"Hey Xisuma, you know we're here for you, right?" The voice of the person holding him asked. His helmet was gently tugged off his head, and he instinctively took a deep breath. "See, it's fine. We're all here, X."

Xisuma swayed on his feet, then finally managed to blink and hone in on the face in front of him. It was Impulse, looking concerned but giving him an encouraging smile once he noticed his eyes focusing. Xisuma opened his mouth to say something, but found himself unable to speak. Slowly, he raised his arms and wrapped them around himself. His chest hurt. There was a low, dull thud somewhere behind him, but he was still too shaken up to move.

"Hey hey, it's fine! It's gonna be okay." Impulse continued to talk to him, lifting one hand from Xisuma's helmet he was still holding to rub his upper arm. "You're here, and it's all going to be okay. Xisuma?"

Slowly, numbly, Xisuma managed a nod. He blinked heavily, not understanding why his eyes hurt like that. His whole face, actually. He took another breath, not realizing that he hadn't done so in a while.

"There we go!" Impulse cheered him on, accompanied by a pat on his shoulder. "Give me your hands, X."

Xisuma's breath hitched as he realized how tense he was, how hard he was digging his fingers into the skin of his arms, how his muscles were cramped up and in pain. He must have subconsciously gotten this tense, but now he was unable to snap out of it. He tried to release his muscles, but physically could not do so, even once Impulse started gently prying his fingers apart and began to uncurl his fists.

Once he loosened his hand, Impulse carefully guided it off of Xisuma's arm and held Xisuma's hand in his own. Very tentatively, Xisuma squeezed it.

"Good! Good. Now, Xisuma, look at me."

Confused, Xisuma looked into Impulse’s eyes. They were black as always, a calm, steady presence in Xisuma's vision. He honed in on them, finally focusing on the present fully. Impulse just as gently took his other hand as well, holding them.

"We're your friends, and we're here for you, you know that?"

Xisuma slowly nodded, again.

"And your brother is here, and your father."

His brother. V. His father. 

"Xisuma, it's gonna be okay. We will help your dad, and then we will leave, alright?"

"M-.... my...." Xisuma choked on his own words as he tried to talk. A shiver ran down his arms. He slowly became aware of his body again - the bandages wrapped tightly around his body, the sore skin on his chest where he had been hit by a fireball yesterday. His arms, his hands, skin scratched from glass shards and demon skin. The gash on his side, still painful despite being patched up. He was suddenly very cold, and he increased his grip around Impulse's hands. 

Impulse squeezed back, reassuring him. 

"We've made it to Taras Nabad, X, it's fine."

X numbly unwound one of his hands, wiping over his face. Then, slowly, he looked around himself. The environment had changed drastically - instead of smooth alien red and white walls, they were in an old stone building, walls white and cracked from age, with vines growing between them. They were, in fact very clearly on Taras Nabad. He recognized it from pictures VEGA had once shown him. Xisuma blinked in surprise - had he been so out of it that he missed them going through the portal?

The divination machine was looming over the room, crooked and bent out of shape but dominating the large, circular room. 

Xisuma turned farther, looking behind himself. There was his dad - the Doomslayer.

"D...Dad...?" Xisuma whispered, still not quite in control of his voice.

His father was half leaning on Zedaph still, who was doing his best to hold him up, but his grip was slipping and the Slayer was increasingly heavy for the blond man. He was slowly sliding downwards, getting closer and closer to the ground. Zedaph strained as he struggled to keep him upright. 

"Ah, Taras Nabad. How I have missed this place." Hayden's voice crackled through a speaker, startling everyone. 

Xisuma turned around, eyes wide. EX and Tango were a few meters ahead of them, at a small console right next to the divinity machine. EX had plugged the data carrier into it, and apparently activated the machine - lights were coming to life, a mechanical whirring started to pick up, and, most importantly, they could hear Hayden again. Xisuma was momentarily distracted by the parts of the divinity machine that were hovering above them. The central unit was hanging down from the ceiling, the top shrouded in darkness. The chamber was a little crooked due to the many years of abandonment and probably the odd demon invasion or two. The construct was still, however, incredibly impressive, and more than intimidating now that it was coming back to life and its components moving back to their intended place. 

A dark hum filled the air. 

"Dr. Hayden, can you please access the divinity machine and tell us if it is still in working order?" VEGA asked of him, trying his best to stay polite. 

"Since you seem to need me so desperately, I think I might," Hayden replied, sounding incredibly condescending despite the fact that his voice was just computer-generated. 

A growl behind him made Xisuma's blood freeze, and he turned around to see his father glare dead ahead. There was a twisted expression in his eye, and for the fraction of a second, fear rushed through Xisuma. Something bad was about to happen. 

Then the bad things in question started happening very quickly. 

"Dad! No!"

With a sense of premonition, Xisuma leapt at his dad, trying his best to prevent him from lashing out and stabbing his arm-blade towards Zedaph, who was unable to get away from the Slayer as he was still half carrying him. Xisuma caught and forced the Slayers arm away, just about managing to keep the blade away from Zedaph. He was wrenched forwards, and stumbled towards his father, losing his grip on the Slayer's left arm. Seeing this as his chance, the Slayer jerked up his knee, driving it right into Xisuma's stomach. 

Right into his bandaged injury. 

Having the wind knocked out of his lungs, Xisuma was flung backwards forcefully. He quickly hit the wall of the hallway, bouncing to the floor and collapsing into a heap. He didn't get up again. 

After getting rid of the distraction, the Slayer turned around to his original prey again. He was breathing heavily, his muscles twitching involuntarily and shivers running over his body. His sickly gaze was fixed straight onto Zedaph. Zedaph had used the brief distraction by Xisuma to get away from the Slayer, but had bumped into a wall. His back pressed against the smooth white stone, he had nowhere to run, his thoughts racing and heart beating. Staring at the Slayer in front of him, he was petrified, unable to _think_ , unable to move-

The Slayer swerved, but with two very determined steps he was right up at Zedaph's chest, towering over him. His clouded mind had overwhelmed him, his laser focus snapped as he heard familiar mechanical whirring and that voice, that _voice_... All reason had failed him, and the demonic instincts had gotten the better of him, looking for prey, looking for something to kill. 

_And this little animal of prey was just right._

He stretched out his hand, his left one. The prey was trying to defend itself, raising its thin arms, cowering in fear. The Slayer's hand easily wrapped around Zedaph's arm, jerking at it, moving it away from his head. Humans were so frail, so tiny... He squeezed his fingers, causing Zedaph to whine in pain. 

_Good.... Good!_

A grin snaked its way over the Slayer's face.

* * *

Zedaph's eyes were wide open, a shout of pain bursting from his lips every time the Slayer twisted at his arm and gripped it tighter and tighter. He was sure it would be torn off any second. The Slayer yanked at it, pulling Zed up on just his arm - he felt like his shoulder was about to dislocate. Words failed him, a sob making its way out of his throat. 

The sadistic grin on the Slayer's face didn't help in the slightest - Zedaph was terrified. He only wanted to get away, to put as much distance between himself and this.... _predator_ as possible. However, he was still held up by his arm, and now the Slayer raised his other arm, fleshy claws spreading, slowly closing in on Zedpah's head, the grin only growing wider and wider. Zed was too scared to even attempt to move, too filled with fear to get his muscles to listen to him. 

"Zedaph!" That was definitely Impulse's voice, panicked beyond belief, a bit of a growl making its way into it. 

" **Dad! Stop that!** " EX's shout was coming closer, accompanied by fast footsteps. 

Zedaph saw how the Slayer's head snapped up to look at them, and something changed. Something within him shifted. His overgrown arm stopped, hovering in mid-air, halfway to Zedaphs face. His visible eye, yellowed, was looking at EX, then slowly back to Zedaph. He didn't have that uncanny grin on his face anymore - he looked strained, as if not sure what to do. Sweat dripped down his forehead. His face twitched as he looked at Zedaph, who didn't dare do as much as to even breathe. His grip was still boring into Zedaph's arm, twisting it painfully. Zedaph was simply dangling in the air, feet lifted off the ground, helpless. 

" **Dad, keep it together!** " EX yelled as he sprinted towards them, still out of reach. " **That's my friend! Don't hurt him!** "

The Slayer stayed unmoving, his hand crushing Zedaph's arm as he tried to prevent himself from further attacking him. Zedaph squeezed his eyes together, both due to pain and the sheer horror the Slayer was imposing onto him. The inner conflict was practically written onto the Slayer's face. 

" **Impulse, help me!** " EX yelled over his shoulder, leaping towards the Slayer. 

"On my way!"

A sickening _crack_ filled the room.

The next second, EX connected, tearing the Slayer's arm away from Zedaph. Impulse barreled into the Slayer's other side, shoulder first, using his weight and momentum to make the tall man stagger and take an involuntary step backwards, giving them some space.

Zedaph dropped and stumbled away backwards, clutching his broken arm, whining in pain and fear.

"Interesting." Samuel Hayden’s robotic voice rang out throughout the room. "I wouldn't have thought the Slayer himself would fall victim to-"

"Samuel, in your best personal interests, I would recommend that you shut the fuck up," VEGA said, his voice even and polite as per programming, but with a dangerous tint to it. He secretly revelled in turning his volume up slightly and interrupting Hayden like he had done to him so many times. It had been against his programming to call him by his first name instead of 'Dr. Hayden', but ever since VEGA left the Mars UAC facility he had reprogrammed a thing or two like this.

EX' jaw fell open.   
" **VEGA SAID A SWEAR WORD!** " He yelled at the top of his lungs while throwing his full body weight into wrestling down his father’s arm. He had a hard time keeping the arm-blade away from everything as much as possible. His head was spinning with the jerky movement paired with his injury from yesterday, and the grip of his arm was weak since his shoulder was sending ripples of pain into him every time he moved his arm. 

Impulse had wrapped his arm around the Slayer's neck, attempting to bring him to fall backwards. It didn't quite work, but the Slayer was thoroughly distracted, giving Zedaph the time to retreat. He decided to move into the general direction of Xisuma, who was still prone on the floor but seemed to be stirring slightly. 

"Ow ow ow..." Zedaph whined, falling to the floor next to the admin. He doubled over, shielding his broken arm with his body. Tears stung in his eyes, and he was taking sharp, shallow breaths. 

" **Impulse, we need to get him into the bloody machine!** " EX tried to instruct his demon friend, while simultaneously stemming his boot into the Slayer's side in an effort to restrain his arm with the blade behind his back.

"I'm trying!" Impulse said through gritted teeth, planting his feet onto the ground to lean into the Slayer with his full weight. His hands, already shifting into claws again, locked into the Slayer's belt and his infested elbow, drawing blood from the fleshy vines on it. The Slayer twitched violently, trying to twist and turn to get out. Impulse heard a growl, unlike any noise he had ever heard from a demon or human. It set fear into even him, but he forced himself to keep up his grip and double his efforts. His leg nearly caved in as he put more weight onto his injured thigh, and he felt the wound bursting open again. 

Suddenly, the room was drenched in a bright, yellow light. 

"Machine is open!" Tango yelled from the other side of the room. With his diminishing eyesight, he couldn't exactly tell what was going on between EX, Impulse, and the Slayer, but the noises he heard from their fight were bad enough. He could only try his best and access the machines control panel. 

EX noticed that his father entirely froze up upon seeing the light pouring out of the divination machine. He then jerked back, causing EX to lose his balance and making him stumble away from the Slayer. Gathering himself, he quickly jumped back onto him, attempting to push from the back and get the Slayer closer to the machine. 

Xisuma, in the meanwhile, slowly came back around. Swirls of pain were coursing through his body, centering on a hot knot in his middle. He was doubled over, trying to catch his breath, everything blurring and spinning. 

"Xisuma! Xisuma, they need-... Ow, they need you-..." He heard Zedaph's voice, sounding pressed. A hand was in his hair, trying to get his attention. Wheezing, Xisuma looked up, clamping his arms over his stomach. He saw Zedaph's face, taken up by pain. Zedaph looked pale, and his purple eye kept flicking between Xisuma, worried, and the ongoing fight, horrified. "Please, X, get up..."

"I'm... I'm here..." Xisuma wheezed, nearly choking on his words. He coughed, then started untangling his limbs, trying to get up on his knees. His stomach turned, and he suppressed the urge to cough and hack his lungs out. With a lot of effort, he forced his body back to his feet, swaying. He noticed Zedaph was clutching his arm - he would probably be out of commission for now - and looked back up. 

Impulse and EX had managed to push the Slayer a few steps further into the room, but his attempts to resist them had gotten more and more desperate. It seemed like he had stopped actively trying to kill them, and was on the defence, trying his best to stay away from the machine and its bright light that was quite frankly burning everyone's eyes. Xisuma averted his face. Still nauseous, he staggered forwards. 

EX was reeling, having received an elbow jab from his dad straight into his ribs. He struggled to keep his grip on his arm, world spinning in front of his eyes and spots dancing across his vision.

" **V-... VEGA, disable the arm-blade!** " He begged of the AI, hoping VEGA still had access to the Slayer's praetor suit. He had long since lost footing, his legs kicking in the air as a swing from his dad's arm flung him around. He was bounced into Impulse, who grunted in pain but kept his grip. Impulse had further slipped into his demonic form, arms rough like coal and horns planted into the Slayer's spine, trying to move him. Lines of gold were glimmering on his skin, reflecting the light of the divinity machine. A trickle of blood ran down Impulse’s forehead and dripped to the ground, joining blood from his leg. He felt like his limbs would fail him any minute. 

VEGA was talking, and Impulse heard the 'shk' noise of the arm-blade being retracted, but blood was rushing in his head and he couldn't make out any words. He wasn't sure how much longer he would last - the teeth on the Slayer's shoulder seemed to have a life of their own and were coming for his face, but maybe he was just imagining things. He started to feel lightheaded. 

Suddenly, Impulse stumbled as a part of the Slayer's weight was lifted off of him. Breathing heavily, he looked up, seeing a flash of Xisuma's green armour next to him. With X's help, despite the fact that he was very insecure on his feet, they managed to get the Slayer to stumble forwards a few more steps until he got his act together and started resisting even more violently. 

They had made some headway towards the Machine - EX was pulling at the Slayer's arm, Xisuma kind of dragged him forwards by his other shoulder, and Impulse was pressing his weight into his back, forcing him forwards step by step. However, the closer they got to the blinding light that poured out of the machine, the more panicked the Slayer seemed to become. His movements became less and less coordinated, but more forceful, more erratic. His heavily armoured feet were scratching over the floor, he was kicking out and trying to get the three of them off of him. His infested arm, a huge claw, was desperately trying to find leverage, trying to hook its fingers into the cracks of the stone below. 

He had a feral look on his face, eye staring ahead at the machine, right into the centre of the light. 

_He couldn't go back in there._

_Nothing good was in there._

_He had been here, before._

_He had been dragged across these halls before. He had been forced in here before. People had inspected him like a piece of meat, forced him to fight._

But he loved to fight, didn't he?

He loved to tear apart, to kill, to maim-

No, no, that wasn't him. Demons.

His last shred of humanity clung to his instincts, trying to prevent him from lashing out, but it was quickly becoming overwhelmed with the bright light in front of him, coming closer and closer.

He tried to root his feet into the ground, to stop this inevitable movement forwards. At the same time, he tried to control his arms, vaguely aware he could not hurt the people around him.

However-...

_I can't go back in there._

_He knew what was in there - nothing but pain._

_It had been pure agony, and his body twitched at just the memory of it, so many hundred years ago. So many lifetimes ago, but his muscles still remembered the pain he had been in, the torture he had been put through. Flashed of memories cropped up, people promising him power, him climbing into the machine, energy coursing through his body, white and seething._

_Whatever happened, he didn't want to go back there._

_He didn't want to go through this, not again._

_He tried to form words, tried to use his voice._

_VEGA would understand him, wouldn't he?_

_He tried to bed, tried to scream, tried to plead._

_No words left his mouth, and the light was coming a bit closer yet again._

_Too close._

_Too close._

_Haphazardly, the Slayer thrashed around, hitting something. The pull lessened, and he pulled his feet under himself, trying to coordinate himself. He didn't see anything, the brightness blinding him, overwhelming his senses._

_No, No!_

_No!_

_Anything else but this!_

_His heels scraped over the floor, useless._

_He was useless._

_He became stiff, his whole body locking up. Was he trying to prevent being dragged forwards? Was he trying to prevent himself from hurting these boys? He didn't know._

_He opened his mouth again, trying to beg again so they wouldn't put him in the machine._

_So they wouldn't make him hurt again._

_His body was hoisted upwards, against his control, against his will. Like it had been so many times before._

_So many people had imposed things onto him against his consent, and he was so tired._

_So exhausted._

_So scared._

_A tear fell over his face, and as he looked up he saw a flash of two faces, a smidge of his sons, the fraction of a second of concern and worry._

_Then, it was gone._

_The lid of the machine closed, and locked him into a world of pain._


	26. Hayden meets his match

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this chapter being late! Between holidays, a lot of stress with college and private pojects, some concerning situations in my family, and me being plain stuck on this chapter... it's been a lot.
> 
> 2021 is looking up though! Lets go!  
> Hope you all had a good start into the year and that you're taking care of yourself! <3

Xisuma let out a deep breath as his hand slid down the closed lid of the divinity machine, and stumbled backwards, falling onto the floor as exhaustion crushed him. 

If he was being honest, he just wanted to lie down. Unable to think of anything else, he did. His mind was blank, only repeating the constant ache of his muscles. 

He tilted his head to the side to see what the others were doing. Was everyone okay? Relatively speaking, of course. Impulse was still reeling, curled on the floor. In their struggle to get the Slayer into the machine, he had received a pretty heavy elbow jab to his ribs, and was still trying to recover from it. Zedaph had managed to stumble up towards the rest of the group, holding his broken arm close to his body and squatted down next to Impulse, looking at Xisuma with weary eyes. Standing near the console of the machine was Tango, staring at the whirring mechanisms in awe. EX still had his hands on the closed divinity machine chamber, looking ahead blankly. Xisuma could only see the back of his helmet, but he could tell his brother was shaken up. 

Xisuma felt every breath in his lungs, harsh and faster than normal. It took him a while to get it back under control, to calm down somewhat, until he noticed how cold the stone floor was on his sweaty skin and how little pebbles and dirt pieces poked into his arms. The ceiling was far, far above him. 

The divinity machine was roaring and wheezing, picking up in speed and volume. Xisuma wondered for a second if it was still fine after all these years, but it seemed to be doing... well, something. The lid was tightly sealed, but light still shone through minor cracks and ridges all over the machinery. 

No one really knew what to say, so there was a prolonged moment of silence in the room, the constant noise of the machine fading into the background.

Of course, Hayden had to break it. 

"Divinity machine is running at full capacity. The process cannot be interrupted, or even I don't know what the consequences will be."

"I'm surprised the word 'consequences' is even in your vocabulary, Samuel," VEGA replied, transmitting his voice from Xisuma's suit as he was the closest to the command panel. 

EX took a step back from the machine, looking up to see it in action. Energy was surging over the hellish device, and he took a few quick steps back, as to not come in contact with the bright arcs of white light. Components began to whiz around on a large, circular track on the ceiling above them, picking up speed and generating cacophony of noise and energy. The central chamber with the Slayer in it was raised up into the middle of the construction, hanging several metres above the ground and out of EX’s reach. 

" **What's... What's gonna happen to him in there?** " EX whispered, suddenly scared. " **What have we done to him** ?"

Xisuma peeled himself off the ground, struggling greatly to get back to his feet. He stumbled over to his brother, resting a hand on his back.    
"Don't...Don't worry, EX..." He attempted to reassure him, despite having the same fears. "I'm...sure it's safe. I'm sure he will be fine." 

As if to mock him, the machine started generating even more noise, a high-pitched screeching. It was accompanied by an energy surge and a garbled, pained grunt from the inside of the machine.

" **Dad!** " EX cried out, trying to reach the machine. " **VEGA, you have to stop the machine! He's... It's hurting him!** " Xisuma was quick enough to hold him back by his shoulders.

"I'm sorry EX, I am unable to stop the process. He needs to go through this to get rid of the demon infection." VEGA stated. 

"Correct." Hayden butted into the conversation. "If we cancel the process - if we could - who knows what the results would be? I wonder if the Slayer would even survive an unfinished process. Might be worth to find out, actually." He mused. 

"Might also be worth finding out what happens if I unplug this data carrier," Tango said. His voice was suspiciously casual, but Xisuma could tell he was at his limit. He was fed up with the whole situation, but with Hayden especially. 

"Not much," Hayden replied dryly. "It won't stop the process, for sure."

Impulse, wheezing, had picked himself up from the floor. In slow, small steps, he came over to Tango, supporting himself upright by putting one hand on the console. His other hand was wrapped around his ribs - X was sure the area would be badly bruised. However, that seemed the least of Impulse's concern. He did a very uncanny smile, showing too much teeth to be genuine, and leaned over the control panel. 

"Well, not much to happen if nothing of importance is on that data thing, right?"

"Guys, you don't need to-..." Xisuma started weakly, but was cut off by a wave of Impulse's hand. He couldn't help but notice the glint in his eyes. 

Zedaph joined them, seemingly strolling past by chance. He was still pressing his arm into his body, but couldn't hide a mean, mischievous smile on his face. 

"Oh it would be such a shame if, you know, someone used you for science experiments with no regard as to how you are as a person."

Xisuma recognized what was about to happen - and he decided to sit back and enjoy it. 

Hayden was silent for a moment.    
  
"Are you trying to teach me some form of moral lesson?"

"Yes." Impulse said. 

"No," Zed answered at the same time. 

Tango opted for: "Wouldn't you know about morals, Mr Evil Science Robot Man."

"I'm not evil!" Hayden fruitlessly attempted to defend himself against a fully assembled Team ZIT. "Trust me, I'm not the villain of this-"

" **Oh, we’ve all heard that one before. Please.** " EX scoffed from the background. He and Xisuma had opted to sit down at the floor in front of the divinity machine, trying to tune out the horrible machine noises and what sounded like pained shouts from what they assumed was their father. Listening to team ZIT bicker with Hayden was a very well needed intervention. Xisuma could go on like this for a while. 

"Oh, you're not the villain? Let's see!" Tango started in a feigned cheery voice. "First! You traumatized our admin!"

"Second!" Zed chimed in. "You also traumatized my- I mean Wormmans sidekick!"

"You said some very nasty things to Xisuma just now." Impulse sounded a tad more forlorn. 

"Oh, am I allowed to play?" VEGA asked, not waiting for an answer. "Remember when you developed a way to harvest Argent energy and it caused the death of thousands and a full-blown demon invasion?"

"That was all for the greater good, VEGA, and you know that." Hayden decided to ignore the previous comments about X and EX. 

"That's what I would say if I was the villain of a story." Tango sneered. "Actually, I wouldn't, because I would be the fun kind of villain. You're just a stinky robot voice."

"Who hurts people." Impulse added on.

"Stinky" Zed agreed. 

"As I have no body, I don't see how I would physically be able to be s-"

"Extremely stinky." VEGA agreed on, not above some childish banter. 

" **The stinkiest, even!** " EX yelled over, making Xisuma giggle.

He was still very much feeling uncomfortable, shivers running down his spine whenever he heard Hayden's voice, and he was trying very hard to keep it together and not disassociate. Team ZIT and what they were doing to Hayden, though, making him as ridiculous as possible,  _ did  _ help. They kept interrupting Hayden whenever he attempted to talk, mocking him, with VEGA happily joining in. Xisuma chuckled. After all, he had gotten his trolly humour from somewhere.

He exhaled slowly, tuning out his pain and the machine noises and focusing on the banter between the hermits and Hayden. 

It would be a while before the machine would be done, anyways.

* * *

After a bit, Hayden had decided to shut up. Xisuma didn't know whether he was simply fed up with the hermits and trying to get them to stop, or if he thought he was better than talking to them in the first place, but no one complained at all when Hayden stopped replying and taking part in their conversation.

Team ZIT had huddled together on the floor, sitting nearby the console. Impulse beckoned Zed to come closer. 

"Hey Zed, lemme see that," Impulse said, more gentle now. Zedaph grimaced but held still as Impulse inspected his broken arm. 

He tried his best to carefully peel back Zed's sleeve, but it still made his friend flinch in pain. The arm looked swollen and bruised, but didn't seem otherwise disfigured. It wasn't like Impulse had a lot of experience with broken bones, but he knew that he was supposed to make sure the arm stayed as still as possible. It took him a lot of finagling, and a lot of pained whines from Zedaph, but he eventually managed to manoeuvre Zed half out of his shirt so he could tie the sleeves together and sling them behind his neck, creating a loop for his arm to rest in. 

"Ow, ow.... Impuuuulse....." Zedaph complained, wincing as Impulse arranged his arm into the crude sling. 

"I know, I know, I'm sorry Zed." Impulse tried to console him, opting to ruffle his hair instead of the usual shoulder punch. 

"Okay, who else needs to be bandaged?" Impulse asked into the round, looking between their faces expectantly. 

"What about you, numbnuts." Zedaph asked him, poking into his ribs. Impulse flinched, then looked at Zedaph. "Your leg, Impulse. It's bleeding again."

Dumbstruck, Impulse glanced down. Blood was, indeed, trickling down from under his cargo pants. Sighing, he sat down, rolling up his pant leg and prying at the soaked bandages. 

"I'll help you!" Tango sat down with him and attempted to help him, but his vision was too far gone to be of any assistance. He was still seeing shapes, but that was about it. All colour had drained from his vision, and he could only make out the brightest lights and darkest shadows - everything else mushed into a blotty grey. 

"Tango, no offence, but you won't help Impulse’s leg like that." Zed finally said, taking Tango's hands off of his pant leg. 

"... And I was wondering why Impulse would have so much fur on his leg." Tango folded his hands in his lap, embarrassed. 

Impulse burst into laughter, making Zed and Tango snicker as well. They managed to re-wrap the bandages around Impulse’s leg, then sat back, not wanting to get up from the floor yet. 

X regarded the scene with fondness. He was deeply worried about the hermits - who knew what kind of effects the things they had seen in the past 24 hours would have on them? Between being attacked by demons, learning what their admin really was and where he came from, and being nearly killed by his dad... He was sure they needed some time to process that. He was also sure he would have to explain everything to them in more detail once they were back home, he kind of owed it to them after they had been dragged through all this. 

However, he was incredibly relieved to see them giggle and argue almost as usual. Yes, they were hurt, and yes, they should not have been here at all, but Xisuma thought they would not be too upset about it in the end. After all, they'd have quite the story to tell the other hermits once they were back on the server. 

He was sure they would be okay after all. 

His mouth felt dry as he let out the however maniest sigh of the day. Finality had started to settle into his bones, since the machine had been running for several minutes now and there was no immediate danger needing his attention. And since Hayden had shut up, he managed to relax somewhat. Looking over to EX, his brother seemed to be doing the same. He was idly picking Mars sand out of the ridges of his armor, spacing out. 

Until there was a loud clang from the machine. 

Xisuma looked up as the noises from the machine started to die down, the clicking and whirring getting slower and slower. He noticed that the central part of the machinery, the capsule they had locked their father into, was lowering down from the ceiling again. The arcs of energy crackled over it once more before they dispersed, and the capsule had soon reached its access point at the end of the walkway. Xisuma struggled to get back to his feet, whille EX had already jumped up and was now pacing impatiently until the machine was accessible.

"The Divination process has been finished," Hayden said. "Let's see if the Doomslayer, the Hellwalker, the one who stood against the Horde is still alive."

"Why does everything he says sound like an insult when he says it?" Tango muttered, having heard similar words about the Slayer from VEGA - but spoken by the AI, they had been words of awe, of inspiration, of admiration. Hayden just sounded condescending about everything.

"Hayden, open the machine." VEGA ordered, now skipping over all formalities. 

"VEGA, you should really know your place," Hayden commented, but followed the request anyway. Impulse's eyes twitched dangerously, and Xisuma meant he heard a bit of a growl, but was immediately distracted from his fellow hermit. 

The machine opened with a hiss, and the Slayer all but fell out. White steam wafted out of the machine, and its light poured into the room once more, albeit quickly powering down. A stench of burnt flesh hit the hermits. Alarmed, Xisuma hurried to get to his father, a slight sizzling noise greeting him. 

The Slayer was on all fours, exhausted. Smoke was rising from his clothes and skin, and his shirt was singed off. However, and more importantly, so were the demonic growths. The vines had shrivelled up on his skin, leaving only dry and brittle remains. They crumbled right in front of Xisuma's eyes, turning into ashes and flaking off the Slayer to the floor. The skin underneath was burnt and raw, barely better than an open wound - but it was decisively human skin again. The teeth that had been embedded in his shoulder were falling off and clattering to the stone floor. The Slayer's shape had been returned to normal, no demonic additions left on his body. It was all gone. 

He was breathing heavily, laying limp in Xisuma's arm. The parts of his armour were hot, almost burning X as he held him. 

"Dad?"

The Slayer took a bit longer to respond, still shaking. His face was fully visible again, his eyes apparently unharmed despite having been previously covered in demon flesh. Sure, there was a bit of blood trickling down from where he had seemingly started to grow a horn, but the injury seemed superficial and more of a remnant of his body rejecting the demonic influence in the machine. 

It had all been purged. 

"It seems like the Machine is still working as intended, even after all these years. It's been so long..." Heyden wondered, trailing off. 

Xisuma startled when his dad began to stir, quickly struggling back to his feet. He still seemed weakened, and would probably need some rest until he was back to his old strength - but right now, he apparently had other plans. He ruffled Xisuma's hair once, half out of habit, half to free himself of his grip, then stumbled away from him. He didn't stop at EX either - he gently rested his hand on his son's shoulder as he walked past. However, his shaky but determined steps led him straight to the console next to the divinity machine, swerving only a little bit. 

" **Ah-... Dad?** " EX asked him, confused. 

The Slayer paid him no mind, instead taking a second to inspect the control panel. 

"Slayer." Hayden's voice rang out. "I must admit, the readings from the divinity machine are quite... interesting. You are the only alive case to be known to have undergone this process, let alone twice. If you were perhaps interested, I could tweak-"

With a crunch that made everyone jump, the Slayer plunged his hand straight into the machinery of the control panel, disappearing up to the elbow. Hayden was cut short in an admittedly very satisfying way, static and electricity crackling before quickly dying out.

"That might not have been the best move, Slayer." VEGA started, despite the immense gratification of the idea of getting rid of Hayden. "We might need to-"

The Slayer pulled back his hand, revealing a singular object in his hand, tearing out the wires of it. He had simply grasped the speakers of the machine, making Hayden unable to talk to them. Crushing the electronics for good measure before dropping them, the Slayer tapped onto the data carrier that Tango and EX had plugged into the machine. After a second or two, a small light lit up beside it, indicating the carrier was ready to be unplugged. Hayden had voluntarily moved back onto the carrier - maybe he had realized the Slayer was still very much his best bet to get off the planet and out of his isolation. Either way, the Slayer had a satisfied, slightly mocking smile around his lips as he unplugged the data carrier and put it into his pockets.

Only then did he allow himself to slouch together, exhausted. 

"Dad!" Xisuma cried out as he saw his father sink to the floor. He limped over as quickly as he could, the gash on his stomach once again hindering him. He tried to ignore it, but couldn't help but flinch when he moved a bit too hastily and pulled at the seams of the injury. Finally, he made it to the Slayer, who was on his knees, barely able to hold himself upright. He weakly raised his head as X stumbled and more dropped rather than kneeled down next to him, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. "Dad." 

The Slayer looked up. Recognition sparked in the Slayer's tired eyes, and for the first time in the past day or two, he actually fully registered his son's face. His eyes softened, and he gave Xisuma a small smile. With some effort the Slayer raised his hand, resting it on Xisuma's helmet. 

Tears sprung into X's eyes at the simple gesture, and he let himself drop forward, arms wrapping around his father tightly. The relief he felt when the Slayer's hands patted his back, encasing him in the hug, was unparalleled. 

EX had followed a few steps behind, unsure, hesitating to join in. His argument he had with the Slayer was still very much in his mind, and all the pain it caused. The Slayer looked up, seeing EX. He searched for eye contact. Then, he gave EX a nod, beckoning him towards them with one hand while his other was still wrapped around Xisuma's shoulders. EX came closer, still tentative. He didn't expect to be grabbed by the Slayer and pulled into the hug as soon as he was within reach, and couldn't do anything about it once he was embraced in muscled arms. The Slayer managed to wrap his arms around both of them, holding them close to his chest. Emotions welled up within EX, and within a second, he was crying, burying his head into the Slayer's chest and grasping onto the back of the tatters of his shirt. 

They stayed like this for a while. Xisuma's mind started to blank out while he was holding his dad and his brother, unable to process any more emotions. He had gone through so much in the past day, he was simply drained, and enjoyed just closing his eyes and thinking about nothing in particular.

EX, however, was very clearly crying from sheer relief. Sobs shook his body, and the Slayer had started gently rubbing his back, grounding him. EX's sobs were distorted by his helmet, and the whole hug didn't seem exactly comfortable, but neither of the three really minded. 

"Slayer." VEGA started, causing the Slayer to look up. He made no attempts of ending the hug, though. "I'm relieved to see you back on your feet, first and foremost." The Slayer smiled at VEGA's gentle words, giving a small nod. "Using my limited methods to scan you right now, all your vitals and stats are looking good. I'd like to do a proper scan back on the Fortress, but I think it's safe to assume the demonic infection was completely removed."

Relieved, Xisuma only increased his grip on the Slayer. He felt his Dad rest his head on top of his helmet, and the sheer exhaustion radiating from him was nearly tangible. 

It reminded him of how tired he had been yesterday after all that they had been through, and he imagined the Slayer must be feeling similarly right now. Besides that, he was still slightly trembling, and Xisuma feared he would collapse any second. 

"We... We should go back home, this isn't the most comfortable place and I think some of us need a bit of medical help, actually." Xisuma said, suddenly sitting up and straightening his back. Everyone immediately looked at someone else. Impulse looked at Zedpah's broken arm, Zedaph looked at Impulses bleeding leg. Xisuma and EX gave their Dad a concerned look, while the Slayer just looked between the several bandages that were already wrapped around his sons. Tango didn't look at much at all. 

" **You know, that's probably a good idea,** " EX commented flatly. 

VEGA's voice chimed in.    
"I was just waiting for you to say something."

The group heard swooshing a few metres away, and everyone turned around just in time to see a small blue spark swirling round and round, getting bigger each turn until it opened up into a full-size portal. 

"Portal back to the Fortress is ready."

The Slayer got up from the floor, pulling both EX and Xisuma up effortlessly with one arm each. He put both of them back on their own feet, but instead of walking through the portal with them, he went back to Team ZIT. All three of them instinctively leaned back when he approached them. They were all still very much thinking about how they had seen the Slayer earlier, how he had tried to attack them, how he had broken Zed's arm. However, now he simply kneeled down in front of Zed, looking at him. Zed gulped. The Slayer carefully extended his right hand, offering it to the blond man. Zedaph looked down, unsure. He was still very much in pain, his broken arm in the sling not forgotten. As he looked up into the Slayer's face, he found remorse in his face, guilt. The Slayer's hand twitched. He was clearly offering an apology.

Very, very slowly and tentatively, Zed reached out with his non-broken hand, holding his breath as he placed it in the Slayer's scarred palm. For a moment, he held his breath. Surprisingly gently, the Slayer closed his finger's around Zed's arm, then pulled him up as he stood, in one big, fluid motion. Zed would have stumbled, but the Slayer gave him support. He gave him a small nod, and Zedaph returned it, relief written on his face. The Slayer let go of his hand and helped Impulse up as well, who was staggering as he put weight onto his bad leg.

Team ZIT shared a look between each other, then made their way towards the portal, Impulse leaning against Tango and Zedaph following behind, looking back to the Slayer as they reached the portal. 

"Feel free to go first." Xisuma made an inviting motion with his arm, a tired smile behind his helmet. 

"See you back at the Fortress." Impulse whispered, voice urgent. Just like that, Tango, Zedaph and Impulse disappeared into the portal, being embraced by the crackling blue energy. 

Xisuma let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He was relieved the hermits were finally off of Taras Nabad. 

He went to turn around to look at EX and his dad, but was swept off his feet in the same moment, an arm wrapping around his waist. An indignant yell told him EX had suffered the same fate, and he could only look at his brother as they were both flung over their dad's shoulders. 

Xisuma was the first to burst into giggles. 

The Slayer held them close, one son in each arm, as he carried them through the portal, glad to leave the divinity machine behind once more. 


	27. EX comes back home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big shoutout to n0va, who beta-read and helped me vastly improve this chapter!  
> As you might have noticed, the plot is coming to it's end! Things are wrapping up, and next chapter will be the epilogue. (Just as a little pre-warning)
> 
> ....Well, without further ado, please enjoy! And take care of yourselves!

Xisuma raised his head from the table when he heard water boiling and splashing. He looked up. His father was at the kitchen counter, attempting to make tea for all of them. VEGA had offered to make tea in the joint coffee/tea machine, but the Slayer had declined - he wanted to do it by hand, for his sons and visitors. Right now, he was pouring the hot water into a cup, adding a bag of Xisuma's favourite tea to two mugs before taking them and sitting down at the table, across from X. 

X gratefully accepted the mug that was slid over to him.    
"Thanks." He simply said, wrapping his fingers around the mug. He had gotten out of his gloves, and out of his chest plate as well. It laid on the chair next to him, grimy and dirty, encrusted in Mars sand and demon blood. He wondered if he should clean it, or if the dirt would be removed from it once he travelled back to the Minecraft world. He sighed, pushing the thought aside. 

The Slayer got his attention by tapping onto the able once, then started signing.    
' _ HOW ARE THE BOYS? _ '

"They are still in the Medbay. EX as well. I think they're going to be fine in the end, don't worry."

"Can confirm." VEGA gently added on. "I'm currently providing them with medical aid. They don't have any lethal injuries - and once they're back home on the Hermitcraft server, they can heal through their world's measures much quicker."

Xisuma nodded. "Yep, a bit of food, a regen potion and maybe a night's sleep and they're as good as new."

The Slayer let out a breath, visibly relieved.    
' _ WHAT ABOUT YOU? _ ', He asked X.

"I'll be fine as well." Xisuma and the Slayer had been in the Medbay first after the group had arrived back on the Fortress. After sealing and re-wrapping Xisuma's injury, VEGA had quickly scanned the Slayer, confirming that every last bit of demonic influence had been purged. After that, they had left the Medbay to give the others some space. Now they were alone in the kitchen, finally having time to breathe and process what had happened in the past few hours. 

' _ WHAT ALL HAPPENED HERE? _ ' The Slayer asked. 

It just clicked in Xisuma that his father had been mostly so out of it in the past 24 hours - of course he would have no idea what had happened on his Fortress. He had mostly been busy with trying not to kill anyone. Xisuma put his palm to his forehead, then scratched his hair, a bit confused.

"Uhm, let's see..." X was unsure where to start. "Oh, we’ve been just having a grand old time. Do you remember me returning to the Fortress?"

The Slayer nodded. ' _ I HELPED THE BOYS. ZOMBIES _ .'

Xisuma’s face lit up. He couldn’t help but feel a certain sense of pride and warmth whenever his dad called the hermits ‘the boys’. "That must've been after Tango, Impulse and Zed were in the Ripatorium and accidentally released the demons."

' _ WHY WAS VEGA OFFLINE? _ '

Xisuma’s expression darkened again. His stomach lurched at the thought of what else could have happened in that night… Team ZIT could have died, for goodness sake!

"One of the escaped demons managed to get into the power core and tore through the wiring," VEGA explained quickly.

The Slayer rubbed his chin. Something wasn't quite adding up. His eyebrows scrunched together at his next question.   
' _ WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DEMONS? _ '

"The peeps were injured, so when we came back from Mars, I, well, got rid of them myself," Xisuma muttered, hoping no one would ask about him leaving out half the story.

"He used the Berserk powerup we had stored for emergencies." VEGA filled in, much to X’s chagrin. X winced, knowing what would come next.

The Slayer slammed his hands down onto the table in fatherly indignation, then rather roughly grabbed Xisuma's face, turning it left and right as if to inspect him. After being startled, Xisuma understood, raising his hands to gently push the Slayer away from himself.

"Don't worry, Dad, I'm fine! I'm fine."

The Slayer just squinted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"I know you don't like that I used the Berserk, but trust me, it's okay. It was pretty much the only option at the time - or at least so I thought." Xisuma added remorsefully. 

His father was silent for a minute. Then, still being silent, he started signing again.    
' _ HOW WAS IT? _ '

Xisuma fiddled with his fingers.    
"It was... scary. I was... Well, I don't know how to describe it, but as soon as I used it, I just kind of... got lost. I don't think I was fully aware of what I was doing, and that scares me."

The Slayer nodded thoughtfully, then patted Xisuma's shoulder. Fatherly, but stern, he looked into his eyes.

' _ DONT DO THAT _ .'

Amused, Xisuma chuckled. "Well, I sure hope I don't have to do it again, jeez. Wasn't the nicest thing. But hey, at least the others are safe!"

The Slayer nodded, then signed so that VEGA would see it.    
' _ WE NEED TO MAKE SHIP SAFER. THIS CAN'T HAPPEN. _ '

"To be fair, they also dismantled the entirety of 5 door controls, I think this is not all on us."

X snorted, able to exactly picture Team ZIT creating havoc and dismantling half the Fortress as they did. The Slayer gave a smile, then turned more serious again. He sighed and took a sip. Xisuma inspected his Dad, who was staring into his cup of tea absent-mindedly. He might have been purged of the demonic growth, but he still didn't seem the healthiest. His face was pale and there were dark bags under his eyes - he just looked exhausted beyond belief. 

"Dad, don't you want to rest? You've been through a lot in the past days. I'm sure sleep will do you good."

The Slayer huffed and smiled, then ruffled through Xisuma's hair once, just like he always did. Even now, when his sons were adults. He then raised his hands to sign again.    
' _ WANT TO TALK TO V FIRST. _ '

Xisuma frowned. 

' _ NEED TO APOLOGIZE. _ ' The Slayer followed up. ' _ SAID BAD THINGS TO HIM. _ '

X's expression mellowed as he looked down into his tea.    
"Funny, he said the same thing about you."

The Slayer looked at him in mild astonishment, then looked down to the table. He seemed forlorn, most likely mulling over his fight with EX.

"How do you feel? About the things that were said between you two." Xisuma leaned back, trying to help him figure out his thoughts.

The Slayer hesitated for a moment, considering.    
' _ I CONSIDERED HIS SIDE TOO LATE. _ ' Was his reply. ' _ I WAS UPSET ABOUT DEMON. _ '

"V has always been insecure about his demon side... He tried to see the good in that demon, the Gargoyle - Bartie - because he wants others to see that he is good and valuable, as well. And I think he got a bit too attached to him, and ended up being defensive about it..."

Swaying his head from side to side in thought, the Slayer then nodded.    
' _ I WAS ANGRY. ABOUT DEMON. _ ' His hand movements slowed down. ' _ I FORGOT HE IS DEMON TOO. BECAUSE HE IS MY SON. _ '

Xisuma sipped on his tea. Things were suddenly making a lot more sense. EX had become friends with a demon, wanting validation, trying to prove that demons - and by extension, he himself - weren't mindless monsters. The Slayer was fighting against demons, knowing how much damage they did, knowing how much pain they caused. And he had wanted to protect his son, he didn't want EX to get hurt by getting close to a demon. Of course he would have gotten upset when EX had, in his eyes, gone behind his back and made friends with a demon. And of course EX would take everything the Slayer said and thought about demons to himself personally, seeing himself in the creatures, referring all comments about demons back to himself. 

Neither of them had been inherently wrong or right, Xisuma thought. 

"I think..." He started out, tentative. "I think EX is just scared. I think he is just upset, and feels like he is guilty of some sorts. He was also really upset about all the things he said to you..." He sighed, putting his head into his hands, tired. 

When the Slayer got up from his chair, he looked up, but his Dad simply put a hand on his head and ruffled through Xisuma's hair. X snorted, then looked up to his father. He saw genuine concern and worry on his face, but also a soft smile that told him the Slayer would just go and talk to his brother, and see what came out of it. X nodded.

With a quick thumbs-up, the Slayer put his empty tea mug to the sink, then shortly stretched his shoulders before he made his way out of the kitchen. 

VEGA opened the door for him, and had to shimmy past Tango, Impulse and Zedaph, who were in the process of entering the room. The Slayer stopped to look down at Zed's arm, pointing at it questioning. Zed happily waved to him, and with an acknowledging smile, the Slayer was on his way down to EX's room. Impulse stepped out of his way respectfully. Tango barely caught any of the interaction, instead continuing into the room, stumbling into the kitchen table and sprawling out on top of it. 

"Oh dear." Xisuma just about managed to lift his cup of tea away before it would be knocked over. 

"Oh, this is getting really old, quickly," Tango grumbled, rubbing his stomach which had been jabbed into the corner of the table. 

"Are you alright, my friend?"

"Yeah, yeah, just-... This is just annoying. Hey Zed, Impulse, you were supposed to guide me!"

"Oops, sorry Tango." Zed grinned, joining them at the table. Xisuma noticed his arm was in a proper cast now. 'TANGO' was already plastered all over it with a sharpie, continuing onto Zed's skin where the letters hadn't quite made it into the right place. Impulse's signature was right on Zed's palm, and X even spotted a small VEGA logo lasered into the cast. Impulse followed through the door, plopping himself into a kitchen chair with a heavy sigh.

"How are you three doing? Everything patched up?" He asked his friends, shuffling to the next chair over so they could sit down. 

“The old leg could be better,” Impulse stated, pointing to the limb in question. It had new bandages around it, and he was walking with a slight limp, but at least he wasn’t feeling dizzy and faint anymore.

"Never been better," Tango replied, half-joking. 

"I'm taking on a new profession as a one-armed bandit," Zed answered, raising his arm in the cast and making a machine-lever like motion. "Ka-ching! You won the emotional lottery of severe stress in your family! How would you like to receive your payout, fight to the death or hugs to death?" 

"I think I'd prefer the hugs, thank you very much!" Xisuma laughed. "Glad to see you in such high spirits."

"Better than sober spirits, right?"

" _ Zed _ !" Tango snorted. "You can't say that! I'm sorry X, VEGA gave him painkillers."

“To me too,” Impulse murmured as his head rested on the table.

"I can kill all that pain myself, thank you very much." Zed took a symbolic swing at thin air. 

They decided to leave it at that.

* * *

EX was pacing up and down in his room, agitated. He had discarded his armour completely, opting for a comfortable shirt and jeans instead. The bandages around his torso were making it hard to breathe - or maybe that was just his rising anxiety. He stopped, straightening his aching back, before he picked up his pacing again, changing directions. 

His room was in tatters. Furniture was knocked over, his bedsheets were torn to shreds, and unfortunately his PC monitor now had a large hole in it. Half the stuff on his shelves had been knocked over, some smaller trinkets broken. Bartie had really done a number on his room while he had been locked in here for the past two days. The clothes lying all over the floor were mostly EX's own fault, though. He picked up a pink shirt with a yellow 'W' embroidered on the front, smoothing out a few wrinkles. Luckily, it was not damaged, so he carefully put it onto a coat hanger and put it back into his closet. He didn't have much nerve for cleaning up the rest of it, though. 

He picked up his hairbrush, combing through his hair once again, then put it back down. He had already completely detangled his hair in the past half hour since he had gone to his room after being patched up by the others in the Medbay. Masses of bandages covered the old slashes on his torso, the wound at the back of his head had been properly treated and wrapped, and his arm was in a medical sling now, giving his shoulder a bit of a break. The injuries strained and hurt, but it wasn't too bad. 

He'd live. 

He always had. 

What had him more anxious was the thought of an emotionally vulnerable conversation with his father. 

He sighed, sitting down on his bed. 

It was quiet in his room. EX had already requested VEGA not to play any music, he couldn't deal with it right now. He was exhausted in all ways. His body hurt, he was tired with a headache, his stomach was growling - the half-burnt pancakes from this morning seemed so long ago. Putting his head into his hands, he let out a long, shaky sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling it forwards, over his shoulders. To keep his fingers busy, he started braiding it, leaving the ends untied so the braids soon dissolved again. His body was weary, but the low sense of dread of facing his Dad again was keeping him on edge. 

One question pushed itself in front of his mind.  _ Did I make Dad sick? _ It was not to be denied that the Slayer had gotten sick and infected almost immediately after he and EX had fought the day before - but why? EX had already had multiple theories, but he couldn't tell if they made sense. Had he accidentally scratched or injured the Slayer, thus infecting him with demonic energies? Had his mere presence caused him to corrupt? Either of these would bring up the question of why it had happened now, after he had already been living here for so long. He was pretty sure he had been a lot more bitey and scratchy as a young kid. 

His most reasonable theory was that the Slayer had gotten infected by the Demons in the Ripatorium. EX would assume that the Doomslayer was immune to demonic influences after so many years upon years of fighting in hell - so what changed? Why had he been susceptible to the demonic forces now of all times?

It could only have been him, and all the horrible things he had said to his father. 

About the Slayer not caring about him. About the Slayer wanting to tear him apart.

Mulling back over his words, EX felt worse and worse. Why had he said all that? He loved the Slayer, after all, he was his father. Just why couldn't he understand that EX was also a demon? That he wanted company, of his kind?

EX felt a headache coming on as he spiralled down his thoughts, sitting down on the floor and leaning his back against his bed.

He just hoped he could somehow apologize.

* * *

The Doomslayer was walking through the corridors and hallways of the fortress, stepping thoughtfully. 

He was... extremely tired. He didn't get normal human exhaustion quickly, and sometimes could go days without sleeping if the situation called for it. However, right now, he was just done for. Every time he closed his eyes, blinding yellow light burned behind his eyelids, and the noises of the divination machine echoed in his head, making him flinch. His mind was restless, repeating the same painful memories over and over again. 

Not to mention, he worried about his son. 

After leaving the kitchen, he had first gotten rid of the remaining demons in the bottom floor of the ship. VEGA had already corralled them together, he just had to dispatch of them. He then fixed up the door to the Ripatorium as best he could - for now, he’d just bent the metal in a way that would make it impossible for any demon to escape. He'd have to get spare parts and repair the door in the next few days, but for now, this should do.

Now, he was on his way to EX's room. To be honest, he had kind of been putting it off. He was... nervous. The Slayer didn't exactly consider himself to be good with words.

All too quickly, he had arrived at EX's door. He stopped. He meant to knock, but stopped to look at his hand as he raised it, the side that had been covered by demon growth before. The skin was pink and raw, every touch stinging into it. He turned it around. His palms still bore the same scars they had for so many years; circular runes and demonic sigils, burnt into his skin to subdue him. Ultimately, they had failed, but the scars remained to remind him of all those years he had been trapped. 

"I don't mean to interrupt your flashbacks and inspection of your palm, but are you going to go inside or are you just going to stand in front of the door?" VEGA asked him, amused. 

The Slayer snapped back to attention, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. He nodded, taking half a step forwards... and then hesitated again. He took the same step back. 

VEGA, seemingly fed up with his unusual indecisiveness, simply opened the door to EX's room for him.

The Slayer bristled, suddenly exposed, standing in the doorway. He quickly got his limbs in order, straightened his back, and stepped through the door. EX inside seemed no less in panic, quickly kicking clothes under the desk and picking things up and putting them down at random, avoiding to make eye contact. The Slayer took in the half-destroyed room for a moment, then sighed. He walked over to EX's bed, smoothing out the blanket before sitting down. He waited until his son looked at him, then patted the bed next to him as an invitation for EX to sit down with him. 

"...Hi dad," EX said meekly, after a few moments of painful silence. He crawled onto the bed, keeping his distance.

The Slayer ached to just take him into his arms and hug him, but he should say something first. Internally, he damned VEGA a little for staying quiet right now, but it couldn't be helped. He turned his upper body, half facing EX so he could easily see the signs he made with his hands. After fiddling with his fingers nervously for a second, he finally raised his hands.

' _ I'M SORRY _ .' He carefully signed the individual letters, making sure EX could sense how genuine he meant it. 

"Wh-... Dad, if anything, I should be sorry."

The Slayer looked up, slightly tilting his head to the side. 

EX was looking at him, chewing on his lips nervously, but quickly averted his eyes.    
"I shouldn't have said these things to you."

The Slayer gently took one of EX's hands to get his attention, then signed with the other. ' _ NEITHER SHOULD HAVE I _ .'

Sadness reflected back to him in EX's face.    
"You weren't wrong, technically. Bart-... the Gargoyle was just a demon. He didn't... Well, he wasn't my friend, he didn't recognize me as one of his own, as much as I wished to. I have to admit at least that, jeez." A weak chuckle escaped his throat.

_ 'IT'S NOT ABOUT BARTHOLOMEW. _ ' The Slayer went through the effort of spelling the demon's name, and by the way EX's eyes widened, he took notice.    
' _ IT'S ABOUT YOU. YOU ARE PART DEMON, AND YOU ARE MY SON. THAT WON'T CHANGE. _ ' He hesitated for a second, then followed up because he felt the need to say more. ' _ IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE YOU SEARCH FOR FAMILY OTHER THAN ME. _ '

"I-... No, no, that's not it!" The white-haired man quickly shook his head, now taking his father's hands into his own on his accord. "You are my family! You are my dad! I was... well, maybe I was looking for some of... my kind, but I realize now that whatever I was looking for, I can't find it with the demons. They're... not like me. You were right, they are just demons. I may be made from them, but..." A heavy sigh precedented his next words. "I'm different from them. I was... wrong about them."

' _ AND YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT OTHER THING. _ ' The Slayer signed with a slight smile, making EX lean back in surprise.    
' _ I NEVER ONCE THOUGHT OF GETTING RID OF YOU. YOU ARE MY SON. YOU HAPPEN TO BE PART DEMON. THAT'S HOW IT IS. _ '

"So... you still want to have me as your son? Despite... All this?" He vaguely pointed to himself. 

' _ OF COURSE _ .' There was no hesitation in the Slayer, and he felt warmth rising in his chest. ' _ DO YOU ALLOW ME TO STILL BE YOUR FATHER? AFTER ALL I'VE DONE? _ '

"Of course!" EX happily mirrored his words, relief visibly relaxing his facial features. He immediately looked several years younger.

The Slayer beamed down at him, opening his arms wide for the inevitable hug. EX, with a happy sob, gladly dropped himself into it, disappearing into his father's safe arms once more, doing his best to attempt to hug him back. The Slayer’s heart all but melted as he finally had his son back in his arms, save and secured. Sure, he was a little worse for wear, but the Slayer knew EX would heal in time. What was more important was that he was  _ back _ . Back to talking to him, back to being his son. He squeezed him just a little tighter, happy about EX’s surprised little yelp. 

EX was no less fulfilled as he was encased in his father’s arms. All his anxiety and nervousness about this situation had dispersed, replaced by a deep content. He forgot how much he needed the possibility to confide in his father, how much he trusted and loved him. How could he have forgotten?

It was as if nothing had happened between them, all the pain and grief the demonic infection had caused forgotten, all of EX’s injuries and scratches irrelevant. EX clamped down on his father’s arms in retaliation, attempting to squeeze him as much as he could. The Slayer happily took on the challenge, gently crushing him and making EX giggle until they both lost their balance and toppled over on the bed. 

EX simply flopped over his dad, playfully trying to weigh him down so he wouldn’t be able to get back up. Despite being more than capable to remove EX from his body, the Slayer simply accepted it, opting for another hug instead. EX settled down, content in the moment. Between the relief of their conversation and them apologizing, knowing that everyone was safe and sound again, the sheer exhaustion after going through the divinity machine, and the soft and comfortable bed and warmth, the Slayer suddenly felt very very tired, his limbs growing heavier. He let out a content breath, closing his eyes for just a moment.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, relaxing. Resting. 

However, something else nagged on EX’s mind, and he propped himself up on his elbows, causing the Slayer to open his eyes back up as said elbows were jabbing into his stomach. 

“Hey, dad?” EX started, sounding a little timid. 

The Slayer raised his head, showing that he was paying attention.

"By the way, uh, what's with..." EX waved his arm around, not wanting to say the name. The Slayer cocked an eyebrow. "...Hayden," EX finally spat out. 

The Slayer made a face as if he had just remembered the unpleasant fact that Hayden did, in fact, exist. With a sigh he sat up, shuffling so he could reach the back pockets of his pants, then casually pulled out a small device. EX instinctually jerked backwards slightly, as it was the data carrier that contained the entirety of Hayden's consciousness. With a sly grin, the Slayer ruffled EX's hair roughly, then got up from the bed and waved for him to come along. 

Hesitant but curious, EX slid off his bed and followed his father. Out of habit, he brought his helmet along - even if more to just hold onto and to keep his hands occupied. The Slayer was playing around with the data carrier seemingly carelessly, flinging it into the air and catching it again. Until he didn't. The object clattered to the floor loudly, making EX flinch at first. The Slayer barely showed any reaction, staring down at the lost object and then stemming his hands into his hips, as if it had personally offended him. Well, it had. 

"Oops," EX said in a very flat tone at the fall of Hayden. The Slayer gave him an encouraging grin. "Oh, no. Oh, I accidentally kicked him away. Oh dear." EX continued just as emotionless, before his toes just  _ happened  _ to connect to the device, sending it clinking over the stone floor and down a staircase. "Ah, that was my bad. Jeez." A grin had snuck onto his face, mirroring his fathers.

They kept bickering and mildly mishandling the data carrier all the way over to the Slayer's office. They weren't too rough with the device, but neither of them particularly cared, either. In his office, the Slayer and EX together picked out the dustiest, furthest corner of the shelves, and together they put Hayden's data there. For good measure, EX pushed a pot with some form of wilted plant in front of it - not without satisfaction. The Slayer watched him, nodding along. VEGA took a picture of the scene, just for memories sake. 

EX and the Slayer exchanged a glance, nodding in unison. No words needed, they left the office, making their way through the Fortress to join the others back in the kitchen. 


	28. Slayer's Sons (Epilogue)

**Xisuma joined the game.**

**Zedaph joined the game.**

**TangoTek joined the game.**

**ImpulseSV joined the game.**

**EvilXisuma joined the game.**

**The_Father joined the game.**

**DOOM joined the game.**

The Slayer was the last one to pop his head through the portal, taking in the strange and colourful landscape around him. The first thing he noticed was that it was... quiet. Peaceful. It was really nice. 

However, he doubted it would stay like this for very long once the others of Xisuma's friends would see their login messages. 

He fully stepped out of the portal, following his sons and the boys. He had omitted the heavy armor, just opting for his helmet and a black shirt. It read  _ ‘MARS 2148’ _ , with a stylistic red circle. Unfortunately, it had a hole in it. With him through the portal, the Slayer heaved the diamond armor of Impulse and Tango, yanking it from the Fortress back onto the Server. As soon as the pieces left his hands, they converted back into item form, dropping to the ground. Impulse stepped over and put them into his inventory, giving a grateful nod to the Slayer. 

"Well, back home we are!" Xisuma said, way too cheerful considering everything that had just happened. It made EX snort in amusement, despite the fact that he had previously crossed his arms in front of his chest and pretended the colourful shopping district didn't catch his interest. 

After everyone had been patched up and all emotional distress was solved, they had met back up in the kitchen of the Fortress of Doom. They had some tea and some waffles, and somehow unanimously agreed on resting a bit more before they would return to Hermitcraft. This had wordlessly turned into a two-hour nap, with everyone dead asleep at the kitchen table. After that, they had gathered themselves and their belongings, VEGA recharging the portal and Xisuma punching in coordinates near the centre of their world - the shopping district. 

Xisuma felt a bit unreal as he had stepped back onto the server. Everything was... bright, and colourful. Everything was so nice and pleasant. Well, except the despised mycelium all over the floor, he wouldn't have minded leaving that behind. With an amused huff, he dragged his boots through the spongy surface, leaving a trail. It was good to be back. Here, he could leave Hayden and all bad memories fully behind. He could grow and prosper. Of course, he had always been a bit sad to leave his family behind, but he really did love the Hermitcraft server and community. It was as much his home as his father's fortress was. Satisfied, he brushed over his armor, back to its bright green state, all foreign substances like demon blood and grime removed. The damage it had sustained, however, stuck, a jagged cut on his stomach armor. He shrugged. He'd just fix it up in his player data at some point. Xisuma's helmet was securely back in place, seeing as the air here was much thicker than on the Fortress. 

Not so much as that it would affect the humans, but Zedaph still took a deep breath as he returned. The air smelled familiar, and he immediately felt more awake. Weary of the gruelling pain in his arm, he opened his inventory. It was just as he remembered it from before he went to bed and had been kidnapped to a demon-infested universe; 5 stacks of cooked chicken and 37 honeycombs, along with an array of redstone components, some bones and several wooden swords. He opted for the chicken, though, heartily biting into the food. His arm creaked unpleasantly as his injury started to heal, his bones re-settled and his hearts refilled. A shudder ran over him, making his fur stick up at the back of his neck. He tried to fight the discomfort with more chicken. The cast on his arm seemed to stick around, but he just shrugged. As long as his bone wasn't broken anymore, he didn't mind carrying his friends’ signatures and VEGA's logo as a reminder of them for a while.

Tango was also elbow-deep in his inventory as soon as he had set foot on the server, however his focus laid elsewhere. It took him a while to locate his object of desire, but the dull sparkle of redstone was just about visible unlike the rest of his surroundings. He could barely make out his hand in front of his eyes as he grabbed a handful of the powder and started to guzzle it, head tipped back. 

"Not that much!" Impulse slapped him before he could consume more redstone than he needed, which was about one item worth of powder. It also made Tango cough and sputter, a red glittery cloud bursting from his mouth and covering half his face. Impulse patted his back until Tango had gotten all the redstone out of his lungs. The bristling metallic taste made his tongue tingly, but he had kind of missed it. Burning down his chest, he felt the energy of the substance coursing through him. The most it did (at least in the amounts he consumed it) to his body was to make him a little more energized and restless, like a coffee would. The more important thing, though, was that it would recharge his mechanical eyes once it had dissolved into his bloodstream. Propping himself up on his knees, he blinked heavily, feeling the machinery in his eyes slowly come back to life. He drew a face as the energy bristled around it, making his eyelids twitch before his vision brightened harshly, and he had toe squint to regulate the amount of light his eyes were getting until they adjusted. Tango covered one eye with his hand, then the other, then blinked a few more times as things slowly came back into focus. Colours were very bright all of a sudden, and he decided to just take it slow for a few minutes until his eyes had fully re-adjusted. 

"All good again!" He gave Impulse an energetic thumbs-up, boxing him in the ribs as he misjudged the distance since Impulse's shirt was still a big black blob with a blinding yellow 'i' on it while his eyes booted up.

Impulse caught his hand so Tango would not further injure himself, and simply held his arm, preventing Tango from running off or whatever was going through his redstone-riddled brain. 

"Take it slow, Tango, alright?"

"Yeees, Mom-pulse, whatever you say!" Tango rolled his eyes, enjoying the flash of red light that ran over Impulses face now that his eyes were fully charged and glowing again. 

Impulse pretended to be exasperated, shaking his head, but he couldn't hide the smile of relief on his face. It was good to see everyone back on Hermitcraft, and for Tango to see again in general. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and the guilt that had been nagging away at him about bringing Zedaph into danger as well lessened somewhat. Impulse also grabbed a bit of food from his inventory, golden carrots in his case. Munching on them, he watched as his health replenished, and the pain that radiated from his leg began to fade. He immediately felt less lightheaded, as well. Carefully, he shifted his weight, satisfied as his leg seemed to carry him as it should and not give out under his weight anymore. He bounced a little bit, happy with the results. Now that he was back on the server, he immediately felt himself relax. This was his home!

"It's good to be back." Impulse finally said, beaming at his friends. 

EX just scoffed at that.    
**"So this is where you've been for the past months?"** He asked X, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Pointedly disdainful, he looked around. He was wearing his helmet again so it was hard to judge his reactions, but he knew Xisuma could tell he was secretly impressed. As EX mustered the different colourful buildings, he felt a weird ache in his chest. He looked over to Xisuma, his brother, who was currently doing a headcount, checking if everyone had gone through the portal. But then his gaze wandered on to his Dad. The Slayer stood at the back of the group, the portal fizzling out. In all his size and  _ musclelyness _ , he looked... lost. He looked as if he didn't know what to do with himself, taking in this unusual landscape. EX's face softened into an empathetic smile. He couldn’t just leave his Dad like that - not after just making up with him.

All of them were a little lost, to be honest. They were just standing there, in the middle of the shopping district, at the foot of the newly constructed town hall. They were all a bit baffled - the brightness, the peacefulness, the vibrancy and life of the Hermitcraft server was a stark contrast to the slightly gloomy, dark Fortress, and the demon attacks and near-death experiences they had had in the past 24 hours.

After making sure everyone was present and accounted for, Xisuma took out his communicator, unlocking the device. It hummed with the sheer amount of missed messages and pings flooding in, and he didn't know whether to check the general chat or the admin console first. 

Luckily, that decision was taken out of his hands when Cub showed up. 

'Showing up' was in this case quite literal, as the bearded man appeared out of thin air on the same block as Xisuma, stumbling into him and bouncing back. He paid it no regard, though. 

"Xisuma!" Cub exclaimed, encasing Xisuma in a big, hearty hug. 

X flinched at his jostled injuries, but returned the hug, patting Cub's back.    
"Hi there, my friend."

"I saw you log back on and worried about you, so forgive me my use of mod powers."

"I'll excuse it for once." Xisuma chuckled - it warmed his heart to see a familiar face back in his home. 

"Are you alright, X?" Cub had a look of concern on his face as he drew back from the greeting. 

“All good!”

"And you lot!" Cub turned and pointed towards Zedaph, Tango and Impulse.    
"We already figured you left with Xisuma, but leave a little note when you go off server, will ya!"

Impulse ducked his head between his shoulders, grinning sheepishly.    
"Sorry, Cub."

"Imagine my surprise when I woke up with all the admin rights! Jeez X, give a man a little warning next time! At least you weren't gone for so long this time. And I see you brought some, uh, company." He eyed EX suspiciously, who stuck his tongue out behind his helmet. The Doomslayer towered behind him, making Cub's facial expression fail somewhat.

"...This is my dad, by the way," Xisuma said, a little belatedly.

“...Ah.” Cub simply answered. He looked between X and the Slayer, then back again. “That actually explains a lot.”

“He’s… not as scary as he looks, I promise.” Xisuma almost felt the need to apologize. “I know he can seem scary…”

"Well... how was your family trip? Did your dad get... any better?" Cub asked, smiling nervously to said dad. The Slayer raised his arm, then waved awkwardly by wiggling all fingers once.

"...Yes." Xisuma was a bit flabbergasted. He squinted.    
"...Just out of curiosity, what exactly did Keralis tell you when I left?"

"Well, he showed up in my base and told me you had left to a fam- Xisuma, are you hurt? Your armor is all beat up!" Cub had just noticed the cuts in Xisuma's armor. 

"Who is hurt? I saw Evil Xisuma and some other players logged on and-"    
Another voice came from somewhere in front of them. Scar was jogging around the corner, three shulker boxes stacked in his arms. He was covered in dirt and grass blades, quite obviously having just been busy with terraforming around the town hall. He came to a harsh halt as he spotted the group and the Slayer behind them in particular, standing in the little overhang where the shopping district portal was tucked away. The shulker boxes thudded onto the soft mycelium floor. 

"Hi Scar!" Xisuma said cheerily and waved, more than happy to dodge Cub's original question. It was good to see the builder's face again, even if it had only been about two days since he had last met with him.

"Whooooo ahhhh?" Scar couldn't help but stare at the Slayer, who was feeling very much out of place now that more and more hermits started showing up.

"That's my dad!" X beamed at his fellow hermits. Cub and Scar just blinked at him.

"Hueegraugh?" An indignant noise came from behind the group - Mumbo had walked out of the Nether portal and bumped straight into the Slayer. The Slayer turned around and caught Mumbo by his arm before he could fall, setting him down in front of him. Mumbo had frozen up, confused as to what was happening. Slowly, he turned and looked up to the Slayer. 

Xisuma watched Mumbo’s facial features derail as he took in the tall, muscular man towering over him, helmet visor hiding most of his face. Mumbo stared at the Slayer for a bit, then to Xisuma. Then back. 

“Xisuma?” 

“That’s his dad!” Zedaph took it upon himself to introduce the Slayer this time around. 

“Don’t be scared,” VEGA said, startling Mumbo even more since he couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from.    
“We are simply here to bring Xisuma, Tango, Impulse and Zedaph back to the server.”

“Right… Right, you guys have been gone…” Mumbo muttered, still looking at the Slayer in shock. 

“Oh, it was amazing!” Tango cried out in excitement. “You should’ve been there!”

“Well yeah Tango, you’re the only one who didn’t get hurt.” Impulse lightly teased him. “We’re lucky nothing worse happened.”

“Nothing worse?” Zedaph stemmed his hands into his hips. “Xisuma nearly bled to death! Even worse, my bunny bandaid is gone!” He pointed to his forehead. 

“He did WHAT?!” Scar nearly lost his monocle over Zed’s words.

Zedaph nodded intensely.    
“My bandaid! Gone! Just like that!”

“Xisuma, why would you bleed to death?! That can’t be good!” Mumbo had finally gotten his voice back, now very worried. 

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, we got it all under control in the end.” Impulse did his best to calm his fellow hermits and not worry them too much. 

“Are you sure about that?” Cub asked concerned - he hadn’t missed how all of them were covered in bandages.

Zedaph, meanwhile, had turned back towards the Doomslayer, looking a bit more serious.    
"Mr. Dadslayer sir... I'm sorry we got in all this mess."

Tango nodded.    
“Yeah, me too. We shouldn’t have come at all - even though it was very nice getting to know VEGA.”

“Likewise! It was nice to make your acquaintances. Also, do not worry about the Fortress - it will be fixed up in no time,” VEGA said, genuinely meaning it.

“Still, sorry for all the troubles we caused,” Impulse chimed in. “My apologies.”

The Slayer shook his head, signing.  _ ‘SORRY FOR ARM.’ _

Zedaph grinned.    
"Oh, not an issue at all! It's already healed, and now I get to do this!"    
He brought down his casted arm, bonking it on Tango's head.

"Ow! What was that for!" 

"Haha,  _ bonk _ !"

After a few more bonks, the Slayer gently stopped a giggling Zed from doing any more harm to Tango, who just laughed and nudged Zedaph back. 

Impulse turned to the Slayer, curious.    
"Are you going to stay here?"

The Slayer decisively shook his head.  _ 'I DON'T BELONG HERE.' _ He signed, then hesitated.  _ 'VISIT IS NICE, THOUGH.' _

Impulse smiled.    
“I’m sure Xisuma will let you visit any time! I’m… glad we got to meet you - and sorry for being scared of you at first.”

The Slayer gave him a well-meaning shrug. He carefully patted Impulse’s shoulder. Instead of flinching, Impulse gave him a grin. No longer did he feel the unsettling aura he had felt around the Slayer before, he didn’t feel intimidated by him. Well, at least not as much as when he had first seen him. He was still a  _ little  _ intimidated, but he figured that so was everyone else that met the Slayer.

“Well, since we’re all done here we can leave again, right?” EX asked loudly. He had used the chance of being on the Server to eat some food and heal somewhat as well, having received a few cooked chicken from Zedaph.

Xisuma gently held EX back on his arm.    
"Are you sure you don't wanna stay on Hermitcraft for a while?" 

**"Pfsh, why would I wanna stay on your stinky old server?"** EX scoffed, but Xisuma couldn't hear any malice in his words. EX's eyes wandered over to the Slayer, who was currently carefully petting Jelly which was presented to him by Scar. Xisuma caught his glance, heart softening. He knew his brother didn't just want to leave their Dad alone on the Fortress right now - not after all they had been through. Not after just making up with him. 

"Well, the whitelist is open to you." X simply said, leaving EX open to do as he pleased. With a small pat he let go of his brother's arm, expecting him to go through the portal immediately. 

However, EX hesitated. His shoulders drooped, and he seemed somewhat defenceless as he looked up to X again.    
**"...Helmet swap?"**

Xisuma chuckled, wordlessly lifting his hands to his helmet and tugging it off his head. Eagerly, EX did the same, unable to hide the big goofy smile on his face as he took off his helmet and offered it to Xisuma. Xisuma carefully took it, handing EX his own helmet instead. They both put their brother's helmet back on, observed by several stunned hermits and a very proud father. Xisuma disappeared behind the opaque visor and the glowing red lights in it, while EX's face was visible for a bit longer, looking more like his brother than ever with the purple-tinted helmet. Both of them seemed to fiddle with their helmets for a while, changing the color of the visor. 

"I didn't know your helmet could do that!" Cub exclaimed, staring at Xisuma's eyes becoming visible behind the glass again as he switched off the LED lights. 

" **Yeah, well, the helmets are practically the same.** Whoops." Xisuma realized he still had Evil X's voice distorter on, and quickly switched it off.

EX seemed happy with the helmet, twisting it slightly to make it sit comfortably on his long hair. 

"What was that all about?" Tango was befuddled, looking between Xisuma and EX back and forth.

"Oh don't worry about it, just a little habit of ours." Xisuma giggled, giving Tango a wink. "Kind of a sign of trust." He heavily patted EX's back, making him stumble. 

**“Don’t read too much into it, ya dingus.”** EX growled, trying to glare at Tango. However, after having gone through life-threatening situations together in the past few hours, that didn’t quite have the same effect as it was intended to have. 

“Aww, I think little Exy is making friends! I think he likes you, Tango!” Zedaph teased EX, earning a - more playful than anything else - elbow jab.

**“Don’t make me get tickling revenge, little sheep man!”** EX threatened him with wiggling fingers. 

“Oh! The dread!”

Xisuma laughed over how well the theathralics of the two worked together. The other Hermits, meanwhile, were staring in awe at the man they only knew as Xisuma’s evil brother - rolling over the Mycelium trying to get the better of Zedaph, and also Tango who had happily joined into the scuffle. 

"By the way, did anything happen on the server while we were gone? Everything going smoothly?" Xisuma asked Cub, as always a bit protective of the server he ran. 

"Oh, yeah, not much," Cub answered. "I worked on my pyramid some more, Keralis built another skyscraper, Grian is currently in the process of starting a war, and Mumbo created a bit of lag by shooting Items out of his sugarcane farm."

"Ah, same as usual then." X softened as he listened to Cub’s words and looked around the server and the present hermits. It was truly good to be back after all that. He let out a small sigh, taking comfort in the familiar way Mumbo’s nervousness was showing, and the way Scar tried to be polite to his father, and Team ZIT bickering in the background over which piece of diamond armor belonged to who. It was good to have that normalcy back, and despite how tired he was, X felt like he would be okay again eventually. 

He turned around, giving his Dad a cheery grin as well.    
"What do you say, Dad, wanna stay for tea? I could show you my base! You as well, EX!"

The Slayer nodded once. 

EX grumbled a bit, but stepped towards X.    
**"'Spose it can't hurt to stay for a cuppa."**

"You could tell us what actually happened over there, mate," Mumbo mentioned as he stepped up to EX, slapping his shoulder in a friendly manner. EX was so confused by the unexpected gesture that he stumbled, trying to catch his balance again. 

"And you, Mr. Void, could tell us about your father." Cub grumbled, pointing a finger into Xisuma's chest while also keeping an eye on the Slayer, who was now carrying Jellie on his arms. He was accompanied by a very nervous and fretting Scar, who worried for Jellie but did not by all means want to say anything to the Slayer. 

“Oh, not much to talk about! He’s just my dad.” Xisuma tenderly picked Jellie out of the arms of a slightly disappointed Slayer and returned her to Scar, then beamed into the round. “Should we go to my base for a cup of tea? EX and Dad will surely love the bees.”

EX perked up at the mention of bees, as much as he tried to hide it. The Slayer nodded enthusiastically as well. 

"We would love to stay for an hour or two, Xisuma. And then you should rest - you need it." VEGA reminded him, earning another chuckle from X. 

"So, what exactly happened to you while you were gone?" Mumbo asked, eyeing everyone's torn clothes and Xisuma's mangled armor. “And what was that about all of you getting injured?”

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary," X replied with a cheeky wink, waving his Dad and brother to come along to his base. 

Tango's face lit up. "Oh, it was amazing! I can tell you everything. So, basically, the other day-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and here we are! :D
> 
> If any of you are interested: I compiled a doc with all the art I've drawn for this fic, put into chapter by chapter order!  
> (Warnings for graphic violence, gore, demons, blood-)  
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JTKVtW_PfKCJVf3RRvOF_CjnvobhGTYsYerRfxysAZ0/edit?usp=sharing
> 
> I cannot say what an incredible experience it has all been! I'd like to personally thank everyone who ever read my fic! And I would like to thank everyone who has ever written a comment - this wouldn't have been possible without you! Yall are genuinely the reason I was able to stay motivated enough through the whole... idk, 6 months of writing this. Thank you!
> 
> My other thanks goes out to my beta-reader (and friend) N0va! She's done so much for me I don't even know where to begin, so thank you so much my dude! <3
> 
> Either way I hope you all have a nice day, take care of yourself, and enjoyed reading my fic!  
> Thank you so much! :D
> 
> \- amber


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